Partnership
by Rebel-Aquarius
Summary: When the other Titans are captured by a monstrous new villain and Jump City falls prey to invaders that will rip it apart, Robin is left helpless. But is he really alone in his efforts to rescue the city and his friends? Response to Dlsky's challenge.
1. Chapter 1

'Sup? This fanfic is in response to **Dlsky's** challenge writing challenge. And what a challenge it is indeed—Slade being…well, you'll see. I am bound to update on this fanfic every two weeks (my choosing of the options) on…Saturdays (The rules are that if I fail to comply, the readers have the power to disqualify me from the challenge—aren't you lucky, lol?) If you want to read the other fics of the challenges' participants, stop by **Dlsky's** bio and check out her list, not to mention her own fic! Shutting up now…

Chapter One:

Night fell, dark and velvet blue, while the stars remained hidden behind the satin curtain of dusk. Jump City was full of motion, as metropolises always are, streets clogged with lines of traffic; citizens strolled up and down the concrete sidewalks, as they started off for their destinations—whether they be late night clubs to dance and drink, or friends' homes to discuss what had recently happened in their lives. The usual beginning, to a typical Saturday evening.

It was also the perfect time for something to go horrendously wrong, Robin thought darkly from his perch atop Titans Tower, while he looked down over his home.

"Why the face?" Cyborg's voice floated to him, and his friend stood beside him a few seconds later, viewing the streets with a small smile. His leader eyed him skeptically.

"What are _you_ so happy about?" He grumbled.

"What are you so concerned about?" Cyborg retorted, but continued to grin in an annoying manner. "It's a Saturday, and there has been no criminal activity for the entire day—"

"That's what worries me."

"—And Beast Boy wants to celebrate the new record with pizza."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're never hungry," The humanoid said in a cheerful tone. "But after that, we were thinking we could go hang out: Play a few video games, maybe go to a party or two. Have fun…you do remember what fun means, don't you?"

Robin shot his friend a nasty expression but remained mute.

"Either way, you've really got no choice. The other three have agreed—well, okay, Raven sort of doesn't care—to tie you up and force you to have a good time, if you like it or not."

There was silence, as Robin failed to respond to the newest comment, and Cyborg adapted a serious frown now.

"C'mon Rob…what could possibly be more important than just hanging out and having a good time? It wouldn't kill you—all work and no play? BB's terrified of the idea, to tell you the truth…what's the matter?"

"Friends?"

Robin's eyelids fluttered closed in brief irritation, then both young men turned towards the new arrival.

"Yeah, Starfire?"

"Are we…still to 'go out upon the town'?"

Cyborg glanced sideways at the Boy Wonder, who was obviously struggling against his own agenda and the hope in Starfire's eyes.

"Rob's thinking about it," the African-American supplied helpfully, and strode off to accompany the alien girl down the stairs. "Maybe we'll see him in half an hour, when he's made up his mind…"

The half-machine, half-boy gave his leader a meaningful look when Starfire wasn't watching, and then started after her. Robin sighed angrily, and leaned over the edge of the roof.

"Dammit, Cy…why can't you just leave me alone?"

No action from any of the villains, nothing stirred up by petty thieves who were taking advantage of the busy town to ransack banks or jewelry stores—and no sign of Slade. That bothered him the most, of course. His nemesis was almost always plotting some horrible strike against Jump; Robin had learned long ago to be wary when things calmed down. Batman had strove to keep him remaining ever vigilant in a situation like this—and the Boy Wonder stuck to his training as often as he was allowed.

_Aw, what's the matter with taking time off? _part of him wheedled slyly.

"No," the teen said, words sounding firmer than he actually believed.

_You'd get to hang out with your friends, instead of stuffing yourself inside of your room to pursue that obsession of yours…_

Well…the prospect of laughing, eating, and dancing—even though he always felt stupid and awkward when he tried it (and that whole thing with Kitten hadn't helped)—wasn't _completely_ awful…he guessed.

_What's the matter? Scared? Just go out with them so they'll leave you alone. Who knows? You might actually enjoy yourself._

Hell…he was still a teenager. He should probably live it up while he still could…besides, if he wasn't having a good time, he could just head back to the Tower and continue his research until the others came home.

Robin gave one last feeble attempt to make himself stay home, but failed; as he jogged to the stairs, a small grin formed on his lips, despite his efforts to stifle it.

Anyway: When was the last time he'd ever heard that hanging out with your best friends would kill you?

What an interesting way of putting it…

**-partners-**

**The Underground:**

"Where is he?"

"Let go of me!" The pimply-faced youth spat, writing beneath the shadowy villain's grip. "I don't know anything!"

In response, the tall man lifted the ugly teenager by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the sewer's grimy wall; farther down the tunnel, a couple of eerie Goths were gathered around a blazing purple fire that one of them had conjured—they peered about, only slight intrigued by the noise, and then turned back to their mutterings. Other edgy groups were meeting deeper in the twisting paths of intertwining drains: Young lawbreakers (some developing their powers already) called the sewer connections "the Underground," a hidden place where they could meet without the concern of the police. The sight of someone being beat up, or a group fighting viciously, was no surprise to them.

The young man, whose ruined complexion had gone pale when his feet were not touching the ground any longer, writhed in discomfort and fear; the evil man leered at him dangerously, the creepy orange and black mask as distinguishable as a phantom's visage in the dingy light.

"Look, I—I already told you: He d—doesn't tell me anything. I just—just hung around that—that group of his a f—few times…nothing serious…"

He was pleading now, but there was hardly any trace of mercy in the gray slit that represented an eye.

"I s—swear to God, I know nothing…except…"

"Except what?"

The youth gave a whimpering sob, and the other man gave a roar of frustration and slammed him again.

"WHAT!"

"He's…" The teenager was speaking softer than a whisper. "He's going up tonight…they're going to take out the—the—"

"The Titans?" The strange man asked quietly; it looked like he was thinking hard, and the teen nodded helpfully.

"Yeah: That was all I heard, then they caught me and threw me out. They're heading up later in the evening—taking them by surprise…gonna load 'em on something and take them somewhere…some weirdo wants them—they'll probably be experimented on, since they're freaks and all…The dude's already promised his groupies they can have the city once he's out of there. I mean, after the—"

The boy was thrown down abruptly, and he lay curled in the scum on the floor, waiting apprehensively as the masked man walked determinedly off into the distance…fading now…gone.

**-partners-**

"Friend Raven, join us! It is most fun!"

"Yeah, Rae, get a move on; we're gonna be late!"

Beast Boy and Starfire bounced along, running ahead of the other three Titans as they moved through the crammed streets of people and off to the grouped stands of food on the side; the inhabitants of Jump were meandering through the roads that had been closed off from automobiles—some were waving companions over to where they stood. Others merely strolled along until they were fortunate enough to bump into their associates.

"Of all the nights that Beast Boy had to drag us out, it had to be on the same date as the opening of some building," Raven growled, and gestured miserably at the enormous structure that loomed around the corner.

Cyborg wrapped a massive arm around her shoulders and beamed; he did the same to Robin, who looked like he was having second thoughts about agreeing to come along.

"Jeez, you two! Can't you guys ever take a break? It's one of the only times we'll get away from fighting bad guys. Take it while it lasts."

Neither of them seemed especially moved by his words.

Beast Boy popped up in front of them, mouth jammed full of sweets.

"Want some?" He asked, offering them the huge amount of junk he was carrying in his hands.

"Candy rots your teeth," Raven responded sourly.

"Where's Starfire?" Robin asked, in spite of himself. Beast Boy made a sweeping motion over his shoulder; the Boy Wonder started in that direction, while the two remaining guys kept tempting the stony demoness to eat something.

Star wasn't too far off, laughing and twirling beneath an enormous amount of fluttering confetti. She whirled on her heel when she heard his approaching footsteps, and promptly swept him up in the circle of her arms, embracing him tightly.

"Friend Robin, is this not a wonderful evening?" She questioned him eagerly.

The young hero gazed over her shoulder at Jump City's population: Men and women chortled at jokes, or danced to the throbbing music that the gigantic speakers in front of the new building generated. Children skipped between gaps in the crowds, avoiding the adults legs while they chased after dogs, or each other. Those who had attended private parties, or entered a club earlier on, stuck their heads out the doors or windows in interest, and a few even joined the masses. Close by, Beast Boy and Cyborg were taking turns swinging Raven around in a mock waltz, and the Goth girl, despite her protests, seemed to be repressing a chuckle at the boys' ridiculous behavior. He and Starfire were caught in the waves of humanity, listening to their singing and cheering; the two were soaking in the palpable excitement that was in the air; the alien girl's hair ruffled in the wind and strands of it stroked against his cheek.

_That's Star for you…always making you feel better than you deserve._

"Yes," He murmured, giving an almost imperceptible sigh, and then hugged her back. "It's perfect…"

_It reminds me of the circus._

The thought startled him slightly. But before he could contemplate more on the fact—as he did with so many other things in his life—the pair of them were swept up by the spastic whirlwind that was Cyborg and Beast Boy. Raven trailed behind as usual, seemingly satisfied to just observe on the outskirts.

The entire scene was, like Robin had lied, "perfect." Here they were, five ordinary kids instead of super heroes burdened with the world's many issues, screaming themselves hoarse with the rest of the mob as the mayor neared the podium, a pair of scissors clenched importantly in his hands…it could have been a fantastic night.

If only he'd paid more attention to how strange the mayor appeared that night: How his skin was rather stretched and strained like a bad, plastic mask, and how he frequently stared at the sky as if in anticipation.

**-partners-**

The helicopter's blades were practically muffled by the shouts from below, something that he thanked God for. Within the enormous aircraft, his crew was bustling about, preparing their descent into Jump City; metal chains and blades clinked together, while the machine guns were handled gingerly.

A hand tapped him on the shoulder, and one of his hired henchmen cleared his throat politely.

"Sir, are you ready for the attack?"

The male nodded curtly.

"Indeed. Be ready to drop once the signal is given."

"Of course…Will you be joining us in the drop Mr. DeFarge?"

"You know I'd love to…but I must be careful." The man called DeFarge stared down on Jump with loathing in his eyes. "You never know who's down there…maybe when the first stage is complete."

"Yes, sir."

_Wait for the signal…then all hell will break loose._

**-partners-**

Damn that Wade, he just couldn't leave well enough alone…

The muscled tormentor of the pimpled boy from before raced through the sewer; he was headed for the faint bars of light that signaled the nearest sewer grate. From there, it would lead him up into the city: If he was lucky, there was still time for him to put a dent in DeFarge's plan…

It all depended on timing, he supposed.

He still didn't understand how Wade had found out about that little incident that gave away where his once hidden base was located.

_How could he **not** have tracked you down? _a ridiculing voice jeered at him in the back of his mind. _You flaunted your control over the boy—he was bound to notice something on the news. Wade's just like you: He can put two and two together._

Slade resisted the immature urge to slap himself.

With a graceful leap, the mastermind launched his body into the air, and wrapped his fingers around the narrow bars of the sewer grate; jack-knifing his body, Slade rammed both his feet against the metal and flipped narrowly out of the hole. He landed neatly on the concrete, but barely paused a moment to catch his breath—he had taken off again already, racing down the back streets to his destination.

**-partners-**

"I am proud to present the opening of a new building, one that I hope will contribute greatly to the development of our city. Out of the combined efforts of our honored constructors, we have created a main meeting area for everyone in this city: A place of study, for scholars, of work, and of debates. It will be a hospital, a community center, a courtroom, and a shelter for the homeless and the weakened—"

The mayor's speech was cut off, with or without the microphone, as the gathering of people went wild with ecstasy at the possibilities of the new building.

Robin gave a tiny grin as he listened, also impressed with the promises of the foundation. This might have the power they didn't, in the views of reducing crime rate, and extinguishing broken children's aspirations to commit crimes.

"And now, my final words: I cannot even begin to tell you of my pleasure at the ideas that this organization may inspire. Now, as I start to cut this ribbon, I can only say this…"

Half of the group shushed, though the rest were still applauding.

"Give 'em hell, Wade."

If there were still those who were yelling their delight, it soon died away into the puzzled murmuring and alarmed shouts. The Titans had stiffened at these words, and with a nod from Robin, they began pushing their way near the platform where the mayor was.

Starfire shrieked.

The false mayor pulled his jacket away to reveal rows of C-4 (A/N: Just in case you didn't know, C-4 is a _bomb_) wired to his body; the trigger was cradled in his hand, and his finger flicked for the button…

"Raven, Beast Boy, Star! Stop hi—ergh!"

The tremendous explosion knocked innocents off their feet; he heard his friends yelp in agony as they were blown back from the sheer force of the bomb, and those who had been standing near the mayor's impostor were blown away in the heat. Far above, in the sky, there was a loud sliding, as several men and women, clothed in black stealth suits, dropped into the city…machine guns were firing rapidly, and chaos ensued…

In the clouds of smoke that had kicked up, a black arm had slung itself around his neck, and a hand covered his mouth, pulling him to safety.

_Where are my friends!_

**To be Continued…**

This…sucks. Oy. Well, I've been out of the writing zone for who knows how long, so I guessing that has something to do with this. But then, you are your own worst critic…yeah, never mind. Please review if you can, and I'll update in two weeks with the second chapter.

PS: For all you comic buffs—Yes, this is a total AU, by the way—I think you know who Wade DeFarge is, correct? (The rest of you: All shall be revealed later on.)

Later:

Rebel


	2. Chapter 2

Yikes! It's weird, but when I was surfing Fanfic, I saw that everyone else had updated before Saturday or Sunday…maybe I'm behind or something, but I'm just posting. The reviews have been encouraging me, so…I'll keep on going. Hopefully, this will get better (and I believe it will).

Chapter Two:

Her back slammed against the side of a building, and the sheer collision knocked the wind out of Starfire; the girl's limp form slumped to the ground, as she struggled to fill her lungs with air.

What was going on?

Everywhere around her was filled and swirling with clouds of smoke. People were still screaming their heads off, and rapid gunfire was hammering her eardrums. All around, the scene blended into a world of absolute panic, like the contents of a snowglobe: They lay undisturbed and peaceful, until somebody picked it up and shook it around, destroying what calm it once had.

Heroes and villains: They were the people who shook things up.

Whoever the new invaders were, they obviously criminals of a sort—what their purpose, or why they were here, she couldn't be sure. But they definitely needed to be defeated.  
The alien, lungs wracked with the effort to breathe, heaved loudly as she tried to push herself up onto her feet; her attempts failed, and she crashed back down to earth. Her head smacked against a block of random concrete, and her vision was dotted with stars. She had to get up…had to stop them…had to join up with the other Titans…

How was she too see anything with all this smoke in her way!

Starfire's fingers clawed at the side of the ruined building, digging whatever nails she had into the crevices, as she pulled herself up into a slumping position. Her muscles were quivering, and she thought she might fall again at any given time.

Everything had happened so quickly…One minute, she'd been standing with her friends and cheering, and then—

"GOD, SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"

Somebody was screaming for assistance; begging, pleading, and she probably would not even get to them in time. Star was so feeble, so weak, and she hated feeling helpless…

_MOVE!_ her mind screamed at her body.

"Please wait," She tried to yell, and her voice cracked from stress. "I am coming!"

The heroine trembled with every step she took, still clinging to whatever walls she could feel for support. The woman who had yelled earlier continued to scream her head off, and Starfire listened in order to direct herself, while trying to block out all the other cries for help.

"I am almost with you," She called softly. "Just wait…"

The smog revealed a hunched shape, barely five feet away from her, and the alien let go of the wall to stumble forward. At this perspective, it appeared to be a mother, crouching over something…

_Please, do not let it be a dead child.._

The Tameranean reached out a slender hand, and placed it on the frantic woman's shoulder.

"It is all right. I am here to help you—"

_WHAM!_

Someone behind her delivered a blow to the back of her head; it might have been a mallet, or a hammer, but it fulfilled its purpose. The young girl fell, and hit the ground: As she passed into darkness, she could feel twine being wrapped firmly around her wrists…

**-partners-**

Beast Boy had momentarily forgotten all of the evening's former festivities, as he plowed towards a group of the newcomer villains in the morph of a mammoth. He trumpeted loudly: Partly to let the people of Jump that the Titans were still putting up a fight, and partly to intimidate his new foes.

_Come on, let's see what you're made of! _he thought viciously, and plunged his tusks right into the center of the huddle. A few men yelled in agony, as the ivory pierced their flesh, and the force drove them backwards. Most of them were unharmed, though, and surged towards him with—

What _were_ they carrying?

A gunshot cracked in the air, and Beast Boy mentally winced, expecting to feel pain, or see a bullet wound seeping blood onto his green fur…

Instead, a net had exploded from the end of the gun, and had been slung at him; the tough mesh knotted itself around his wide body, and the changeling grunted as he stomped and writhed in order to free himself; everything failed, and the net seemed to close about him even tighter—it was cutting into his body, despite his shaggy fur. Beast Boy had no choice: He demorphed, in hopes that the trap would be too large to hold him.

It was only when he was back in normal form that he realized, with horror, that the snare was too big; he was practically swimming in it, and when he flailed his arms to regain balance, the fabric twisted about his limbs.

He was caught, and only too easily.

The men from the helicopter were coming at him; Beast Boy roared in frustration, and it turned into an bestial howl as he changed into a wolf. They might have gotten him, but at least he wouldn't go down without a fight. No way.

His jaws stretched wide and bit down on hands, ankles, arms—whatever was close enough. Some of the men retreated to come up with a better plan; the braver ones threw their bodies into the fray, and soon, their weight had him pinned to the street.

Beast Boy changed back into his normal self and began shouting at the top of his lungs. Maybe—maybe one of the other Titans could still hear him, and if they came soon enough—

"Help, help—AHH!"

A needle pricked his skin, and only seconds later, his eyes slid out of focus; the drug was way too fast for him…but he had to fight it…ugh, he was so exhausted from fighting so hard…

Somebody was speaking, though their voice was dull and as sluggish as his thought process…

Had they used animal medication to sedate him?

_'Cuz whatever they did is working…_

Must…stay…awake…

_Where are the other four? And why didn't they hear me…?_

**-partners-**

Robin contorted his body as best as he could, trying to make his invisible captor release him. Maybe they were confused, and thought they were helping him; actually, it could just be a civilian who had dragged him out of the bomb's path. They always had this annoying tendency to think that they were assisting heroes. Maybe it was a police man, who'd been witnessing the event, and had caught the Boy Wonder just in time—

"Don't. Move."

_Or…maybe not._

"Mmm!" Robin growled, and thrashed wildly beneath Slade's hold. In response, the villain dug his heel into the teen's ankle with merciless ferocity. The hero gave a muffled gasp of pain, and his jerking let up…but only a little bit.

"Be silent—"

_Who does he think he is, giving me orders; like I'd **obey** them!_

"—Unless you want to give both of us away."

Robin swore as loudly and as clearly as he could; Slade tensed the arm around the younger man's neck and lifted him off the ground, cutting off Robin's air supply. The Boy Wonder kicked out, trying everything to free himself, from wrenching his body, to digging his fingers into weak points on the criminal's arm. Nothing worked; Slade had positioned the side of his arm directly over his once-apprentice's voice box, and all the boy could do was flail.

"Either you're quiet…"

_No way—_

"…Or you'll kill yourself…"

Both males grappled a bit longer; Robin's breathing was ragged and coming in small pants. His head was spinning, and he needed oxygen fast…Slade wasn't kidding around this time…

The teen's fighting tactics must have grown consistently weaker, for a moment later, his enemy was whispering in his ear:

"I _will_ let you go, but only if you swear not to say a word…"

"Ughn…" Robin moaned faintly, and gave once last feeble movement—and then he gave a tiny nod.

At once, Slade released him, and the Boy Wonder crashed to the ground on his hands and knees, shoulders shaking as he inhaled. The night air was still thick with fumes, and his lungs burned from the pollution and dust.

"Breathe, Robin…"

The teen had his back to his adversary, but he stiffened at the somewhat reassuring edge in the other man's tone.

"You—"

"You can call me whatever you want later on. But we have to leave now, before you meet the same fate as your friends."

"What—?"

"We need to go. Some of the Titans may have evaded capture, but I doubt it. The Ravager almost always gets what he came for."

"Who's the Ra—?"

Slade cut him off yet again, and Robin noticed how impatient he was that they depart. What if this was a trap, and the other man was responsible for everything that had just occurred? Why wouldn't he answer any of his questions?—the situation was serious and needed to be dealt with immediately, and even more so if the Titans were probably targets. And who was the Ravager anyway?

"I'll explain everything, but we have to find shelter first.Here."

Robin stared at the extended hand as if he'd never seen anything quite like it; and in a sense, he hadn't. Since when had Slade ever wanted to help _him_? There must have been a catch, and the boy didn't want to bother with hanging around and finding out what it was only to be a moment too late…again.

With a sprinter's agility, he thrust his body to the right, and took off down the alley. He could hear Slade muttering curses, and sped up. There were only two problems with his plan: One, was that the alleyway ended in a dead end (although this, he did not know). The second issue was that he was headed away from the guns and fighting…and his friends.

**-partners-**

"Raven?"

Blood was dripping from a cut in her head, seeping down the street like a tiny red river, and she followed its progress with wide, blank eyes. Raven's body blazed with a heat she had never felt in her entire life, and it felt as though she had swallowed an entire glass of liquid fire. People were screaming, running—but many were sprawled, motionless, on the ground beside her. They had died in the explosion…perhaps they'd been too close…

The smoke should have cleared away by now, but the invaders consistently dropped smoke bombs, flooding everyone's eyesight and air with a thick haze. All around her, Raven could feel her powers being tugged on by the injured and the dead: Her empathy stretched out like elastic, pulling her body in different directions, and ordering her to assist those who needed it.

She was tired…so very exhausted…

"Rae! Are you out there! BB? Star, Robin? Answer me!"

That was Cyborg's voice, hailing her. He was trying to find the rest of the group, her mind reasoned sluggishly. She should give him a sign, or something…

"C…"

Her throat had clenched, as if a huge fist had clamped itself over her esophagus; her arms were weighted down with lead, so she didn't have the option of waving him over. Maybe she'd get lucky, and he'd find her on his own.

The demon closed her eyes, and—summoning as much energy as she was able to contain—screamed mentally.

_CYBORG! I'M HERE!_

"Raven!"

Hands slipped beneath her body, and her robotic friend picked her up and set her on her feet; he allowed her to hang on him for support, while he examined the cut on the side of her skull.

"It's not bad," he concluded, "just a scratch. You've had worse."

The Gothic girl only nodded in a lost sort of manner; she may have sustained severer injuries, but the pain and the sensation of blood trickling down her neck made her strength crumple like a mere sheet of paper…that, and the knowledge that she and her team hadn't been able to take the bad guys down before they'd wreaked havoc on her home.

"W—where are the others?"

"I…I don't have a clue," Cyborg said truthfully. "But, if you can pull yourself together for a little bit, we can probably find them. Is that okay?" he added sympathetically. Raven nodded again, though Courage was silently raging at her.

_What are you doing? This isn't like you: Take control, find your team members, and kick the new creeps' asses!_

"You're trembling," the African-American reflected, as he assisted her in blundering down the ruined sidewalks, and mournfully picking their way around the dead. "Are you all right? Do you want to rest?"

"N—no…I'm just…" Raven shivered and cast her eyes about the clouded area. "…Cold. Very cold."

He smiled tightly.

"Everything's going to work out. It always does in the end…"

_So they say._

She was about to ask him where he planned on looking first for their three friends, but froze when the slap of feet against pavement echoed in her mind. Raven swiveled her head this way and that, craning to see if anybody was coming or not—proof that her premonition hadn't simply been a figment of her imagination. Cyborg noticed her behavior change.

"What's up?"

"They're going to come…they're going to find us! We've got to get out of here now!"

"What? Who's coming?"

But he already knew; both of their ears caught the distinct sound of a group of strangers approaching—the ones who were responsible for the bomb.

Cyborg shot her a pained look, and then shoved her at a nearby side street.

"Go, Raven. I can handle this."

She refused to move, however, and stood gaping at him.

"I'm not leaving you," she said firmly.

"You're not leaving me. We're…we're just splitting up momentarily."

Raven glared at him.

"Don't lie. I'm not going to let you—"

Cyborg groaned.

"Damn, Rae, why do you have to be so stubborn? You're already hurt as it is: I can take care of these people, and we'll meet up after I'm done. You can send me one of those mental messages of yours—"

"No."

The humanoid cocked his arm cannon and aimed it at her; the footsteps were growing louder.

"Rae," he said in a commanding tone. "Go now."

She gestured in helpless anger. It wasn't the answer Cyborg was waiting for, and pointing his arm upwards, he blasted the rooftop with a quick beam of bluish-white light. The brickwork tumbled down in a mock, miniature avalanche, and it forced her to throw up her powers in a shield.

"Find them!" He yelled, as she disappeared behind the downpour of stone and grime; then Cyborg adjusted himself towards the sounds of his attackers, awaiting the fight.

"Bring it on," he whispered hoarsely.

**-partners-**

Robin jumped spryly across overturned trash cans, and abandoned cars, heart pounding in his heart and chest. Slade was right on his heels, lunging forward at times to try and grab hold of the boy's cape.

_He wouldn't waste his time chasing you, if he was planning to lead you into a trap_, his rational side informed him, but the Boy Wonder was too caught up in the moment to listen. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from the madman. And fast.

The child scrabbled over a few chain linked fences that were in his way, turned a corner—and came to the eventual dead end.

"No!" He hissed, and punched the wall; bits of brick and dust flew every which way. He was so stupid, that he'd practically walked into this, without even thinking of the consequences! He was trapped in an alley with his mortal enemy, and even farther away from the Titans than he was earlier.

"Robin!"

The teen hero whipped out his jumpcord and shot it at the nearest roof top, but when he made to leap up, Slade caught his ankle and twisted cruelly; the pain that shot through Robin's body made him release the cord. He crashed back down to the earth, and the older man wasted no time in punching him quickly in the face. The boy fell, back smashing against the wall with a thud. Slade gripped him by the front of the uniform till their faces were inches apart.

"Stop struggling!" He snapped, and pinned Robin to the wall. "I'm not trying to trap you—"

"Then what do you want?" The boy screamed in return, squirming ceaselessly. "What is it!"

Slade fixed the child with a serious gleam in his gray eye and said clearly:

"I'm trying to save your life."

Robin resisted the urge to laugh derisively in the mastermind's face.

"Save me? Why would _you_ want to help _me_?"

The other male didn't answer, but his hold on Robin loosened a bit, making the Titan start in surprise.

"Let us just say that this is…personal. The Ravager loves to stir up chaos, but he came for a purpose—at least, another purpose than capturing your friends…he's after you."

Robin blinked and stared incredulously at his former master.

"What? What the hell are you talking about—?"

"I can't explain it now. But you must understand that we have to get off the streets, where he can't find us."

The boy appeared flustered, and shook his head disbelieving.

"Where's all this "we" coming from?" He snarled. "I'm not on your side, and you're not on mine—never have been, never will be. I don't want to be your 'partner.' I've already had to work with you once, and I hated it! I don't care what you've got to say, and I don't want to see you ever again! My friends are in danger, and you're in my way!"

Both of them were quiet, and glowered at each other.

"Let me go," Robin said fiercely.

Slade, slowly, released the Boy Wonder and backed off to the side. As the hero passed by, the dark man made a sarcastic, ushering gesture. He waited until the child was gone, and then murmured under his breath:

"I'll be seeing you soon, then…"

**To be Continued…**

So…how was that? Too dull? I promise, it'll pick up as soon as…well, you'll see. Thanks for reading, see you in two weeks!

Rebel


	3. Chapter 3

So, new chapter update on this story…by the way (PLEASE READ THIS!): For all the readers, would you please email **Dlsky** after you finish this chapter? She wants to know which of the challenge stories are the most entertaining for you guys to read and review on. Well, I gotta go. See you around!

Chapter Three:

Cyborg ducked and whirled through his battle gracefully, alternating between shots from his arm cannon, and blows from his fists. All around him were enemies—they surrounded him, laughing, jeering, fighting.

_No escape. No escape._

The half-human, half-machine gave a small groan of anger, as his mismatched eyes scanned the scene hurriedly; there wasn't a gap in the circle anywhere, and the criminals were drawing closer to him, ever closer.

Oddly enough, he hadn't really planned on winning; when he'd first plunged into the brawl, he'd only had one thought in mind: To distract them while Raven got away. It might have seemed a little strange—but Cyborg had the feeling that something bad had happened to the rest of the Titans. And, despite his mechanical abilities, he didn't have the telepathic powers that his Gothic friend possessed—she would be better equipped to seek out the others…then, maybe later, she'd come back for him.

He also had to admit, even though he'd sacrificed his own well-being for the girl, he'd had thought that he'd be able to handle the invaders; now, looking back, he cursed himself for being over-confident. Heroes were supposed to expect the unexpected at all times.

_Maybe Robin was right to be worried…_

Cyborg noticed that some of the villains were eyeing the mess of rubble and debris he'd made when he'd been forcing Raven to run. If they headed in that direction, they were bound to catch up with her—and she wasn't in the best condition for a struggle.

Without stopping to think of the consequences, Cy shot out a miniature grappling hook from his arm and directed it at the nearest office building roof…and, just like he had anticipated, his adversaries swamped him as soon as his feet lifted up from the ground.

Hands dragged him down to the concrete—it took their entire number, since he made sure to try and escape as much as he could. Fists swung, heels stamped onto his face and body, blows that would definitely leave bruises and dents. Slowly, they pinned his arms and legs down, eliminating all of his capability to move or thrash.

As the leader of that particular team moved towards him, while producing some sort of electrical shocker from under his bullet-proof vest, Cyborg closed his eyes and allowed them to beat and blast him into unconsciousness.

_For my friends…_

**-partners-**

Raven inched her way down the alley, cloak covered in dust and rubble; the side of her head was already soaked in her own blood, and her short hair was stuck together in bedraggled clumps. She'd made considerable progress since Cyborg had shoved her away, but the doomed cries that she'd turned her back on continued to follow her, ringing shrilly in her ears.

"There was nothing I could do," she murmured to the night air. But the lie that she uttered left a sour taste on the tip of her tongue.

'_What are you doing?' _Courage ranted insanely from inside her head._ You should go back and help Cyborg fight!_

"I would only have been in the way," Raven countered; however, she loathed herself for the false reasoning she was using as her excuse.

'_You are a hero!' _The green-hooded girl snarled contemptuously._ 'It's your **duty** to protect people, and stand by your friends! And yet you left Cy to battle by himself!'_

The girl sighed, limbs growing as heavy with every forward step she took. It was hard to keep going, with her incredible exhaustion and guilt pulling her back.

If any of her new assailants found her, she was as good as dead.

All she wanted was to sit down, curl up into a tight ball, and fall fast asleep.

"No…have to…must find the others," she informed herself, trying to sound as adamant as she wished she did.

…The demon had no idea where to start searching for them with her mind…she had no energy left to think clearly, much less continue her trudging, and every step she took felt as if her feet had been chained down to one-hundred pound weights…

Her dizziness might have been affected by the amount of blood she'd lost from her head wound…not to mention the red that kept seeping from the cut.

The Goth girl raised a hand to her scalp and let blue magic mend the brief gash.

_I should have used this to help people who **really** needed it._

The laceration stung and burned as it was cleansed by her powers, and Raven slumped against the alley wall for support, breathing coming heavy to resist the pain; for now, all she wanted to do was rest for the moment…and then later…

**-partners-**

Robin ground his teeth, incensed, as he stormed down the streets in a black mood. Damn Slade, with his tall tales, and conniving manner—while he'd been detained, listening to a bunch of crap, his friends were probably wondering where the heck he'd gone. He hoped they were doing okay, fending for the citizens…

The Boy Wonder paused at a intersection of two alleyways and blinked in disconcertion. The screaming that he'd heard in the distance had dwindled away, leaving him lost in the maze of winding back alleys.

"Darn it," he grumbled. His current predicament was not improving his mood in the slightest, and his hands balled into fists.

What was he supposed to do now?

_You could always turn back…see if Slade is still—_

No.

Robin glared at the space before him and began to march, unsure of where exactly he was going.

"Cyborg?" He called softly, so as not to attract too much attention, or cause too much noise. "Cy? Starfire? Beast Boy—Raven? Can any of you hear me?"

There wasn't a response.

He took a deep breath and tried again, a bit louder this time.

"Star? Beast Boy?"

As he shouted for them, he carefully tiptoed around corners, ready for any surprise attacks that were lurking about, waiting for him.

"Raven?"

Robin retraced his steps as best as he was able, following the path that he'd used to escape from Slade. If he kept going, he might just come across the site where the invaders had first dropped in.

He began hailing anybody in general, not just his team, but any stray human being that might have avoided the explosion; every time, he was greeted with silence, and a heavier feeling closing around his heart.

_Where is everyone? What happened while I was gone…?_

"Cyborg? …Raven?"

"R—Robin…? Is that you?" The voice was far off, but there was no doubt on who it belonged to. The Boy Wonder's masked eyes widened in a combination of shock and relief, as he tore down one last street to kneel beside a huddled Raven; she looked up at him, expression emotionless, but her gaze held a disturbing power about them.

"You…you're okay?" She mumbled, sentence almost incomprehensible. Robin smiled weakly, and embraced her gently.

"Yeah, Rae. I'm fine. Where _is_ everyone?" He added, as he helped her stand. "I've been trying to find somebody, but no one's around—Raven, you're bleeding!"

The Goth demon appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"They're gone."

**-partners-**

Wade DeFarge surveyed the three prisoners critically, one eyebrow raised to show that he wasn't impressed in the least. Some of his team, who had returned when they'd retrieved the Titans. He paced the perimeter of the cargo area in the jet where he was keeping the teenagers trapped, then turned on the nearest bounty hunter—a thick-muscled, grim man named Boris.

"Well done," Wade started, in a mild tone, and Boris gave a small, swift smile. "I honestly couldn't have done better myself…yet—"

DeFarge examined the limp heroes and single heroine with an ugly sneer, before going on.

"—Unless I am mistaken, there are _five_ Titans? I see only three…"

Boris and the rest of his team exchanged worried, hesitant glances.

"Uh, yes," the bounty hunter ventured in a light, German accent. "We, err, failed to capture the other two."

"Ah," Wade observed. "I see…"

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the mass of villains, interrupted only when DeFarge announced loudly:

"I seem to distinctly remember ordering all of you inefficient morons to grab all of the Titans, but _especially_ their leader. So," he snapped, leaning into Boris's face, "would you care to explain _why_ he's not here?"

Boris stammered, obviously lacking a good enough reason to 'excuse their incompetence.' In the meanwhile, though, Wade had regained his composure and drawn back calmly.

"Never mind," DeFarge sighed, waving for the criminal to fall silent. "If they haven't been caught now, they soon will. I have teams that have infiltrated almost the entire city. The other two can't hide for long…prepare half your team to descend."

Boris nodded obediently, and made to leave, but Wade cleared his throat.

"Oh, and Boris?"

The thug stopped, and, crossing over in three broad stride, DeFarge drove his thumb into the bounty-hunter's left eye.

Ignoring the appalled expression on the rest of the men's faces and the suffering screams of his victim, Wade wiped his finger clean of the mess and said pleasantly:

"You've got something in your eye."

**-partners-**

Slade watched attentively as Robin made his way to the celebration had been taking place earlier, one of the boy's arms slung around Raven's shoulders to help her walk; the child probably considered himself quite fortunate by finding her, but he had no idea how badly she would slow him down.

That was where he came in.

Even though the Boy Wonder had more than explained his passionate hatred for Slade, and had declined the man's attempts to help, he had no idea what he was getting into. Wade would kill the teen as soon as look at him, but he was hoping to use Batman's brat as bait.

Slade didn't care, really, about what would happen to the boy; after all, there was his own agenda to keep in mind. However, Wade had made the mistaken of coming after him, and he would pay for that.

So here he was: Posing, rather, as Robin's guardian angel, watching and waiting…

For now.

**To be Continued…**

Sorry that it was short, and that the ending was kind of stupid, but I've really gotta run! Anyway, please don't forget to email **Dlsky**, and I'll see you around!

Later—

Rebel


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there. Guys: **realfanficts** brought up a piece of rather unfortunate information. He said that Teen Titans is going to be canceled after the end of the fifth season—and while the description of the last episode seems to be the perfect way to tie things up for good, I'd prefer it if the show hung in there for more seasons, like three more…or a million more…but, he suggested writing to the producers. If you guys want to write and protest (or if you have more information on the topic) could you mention it in your review? I'll send you an email or a review with Cartoon Network's address if you ask for it. Thanks.

Chapter Four:

"Not to worry, Rae," Robin said, panting slightly, as the both of them laboriously turned another corner, only to be greeted with the bitter sight of a dead-end. Unlike her friend, who strove his best to conceal it, Raven's utter disappoint was evident on her pale gray face, and in her sullen violet eyes.

"Once we figure out exactly where everyone else has gone, it won't be to difficult to go from there and—" The Goth's feet left the ground momentarily, as the Boy Wonder swung her around to continue onwards. "—Clean the city out."

Raven sighed, the sound a mixture of melancholy and tiredness.

"I already told you, Robin. They're gone. Cyborg, strong as he is, can't hold off the number of people I foresaw arriving. And if Starfire and Beast Boy were still safe, they would have contacted us on their communicators by now."

She hated to be the logical, pessimistic one of the pair, but it was more important to note the cruel hand that reality often dealt people like them. Robin, catching the hopelessness edge in her normally glum tone, gave her a small shake, as if he were waking her from a dream; perhaps he was hoping that the action would allow her mind to emerge from the sedentary, sluggish thought of a deep sleep—but _he_ was the one that needed to leave the fantasy. Despite the fact that he usually attempted to maintain a cheerful disposition when times seemed rougher than they typically were, it was starting to grind on her last nerves; he needed to face the unfortunate—and more truthful—side of the situation.

"Like I said, Raven. Don't get yourself down. Everything's gonna turn out fine."

The girl was tempted to respond with a dry remark to this repeated phrase of his, and decided against it.

Robin, secretly however, was beginning to feel exhaustion slide into his limbs and pump through his veins like the contents of a syringe, designed to send him flying into unconsciousness; his heart was also starting to give out, sinking lower as their prospects grew dimmer and dimmer. He didn't want to concur with Raven's reasoning, depressing as it was, but his brain was telling him that it was the wisest thing to do right about now…

Damn it, why was it so hard to tell where they were going! After years of serving the city and patrolling its streets to keep the crime to a minimum, he would have thought he'd known the place like the back of his hand! Maybe the explosion had knocked down architecture that would have otherwise triggered a mental map of Jump—or it could have been caused by the fog, which seemed to have settled itself in a comfortable lair over the entire civilization (he could only assume that the invaders had set off smoke bombs, or something of the like—the cover of white just wasn't natural).

He had considered, many more times than he felt was necessary, of stopping for a moment and leaving Raven quickly to swing up onto the rooftops and check their position, plus the current status of the city and its people—but it wasn't safe. Not when he knew that the new villains could swoop in at any given time and attack his friend. One didn't have to be a doctor to see that Raven was in no state to fight; besides, she was depending on him to help her walk, for crying out loud! Who knew what could happen to her, even in the few minutes that he was absent? And, to add salt to the guilty wound, he was her friend and leader: It was his job to stay with his injured team members, to help them pull through if they ever wanted to have a shred of hope at winning the battle that they were about to face.

Sometimes he honestly hated having the irritation of responsibility as an extra burden on his shoulders.

Raven's terse and grating voice suddenly cut through the debate he was holding with himself:

"We're being watched."

Robin stiffened and glanced behind, but there was nothing waiting to meet his harsh gaze, other than the seemingly innocent, rolling mist that lingered between them and the previous dead-end.

"Foe?" He murmured under his breath, while one of the hands supporting the demoness' body strayed to his utility belt; dark power glimmered faintly in Raven's palms, as she squinted wildly at their surroundings.

"It's hard to tell," She growled, pupils reduced to keen slivers. "I can feel a presence, and there's traces of an aura nearby, but…" The Goth appeared indecisive whether to keep her guard up, or relax the tension that lined the muscles of her rigid form.

"I don't know if they're good or bad."

"Must be a normal human being, then?" Robin offered, but he withdrew his bo-staff, all the same. Raven looked doubtful.

"No…the emotions that they're generating are too powerful to belong to an average citizen. Besides," she added wryly, as her vision swung upward to the rooftops that were conveniently blocked by the smog. "What would a regular person be doing on top of buildings?" She shot her masked compatriot a knowing stare. "Or 'stalking' us, for that matter? When something goes wrong, the majority of the population tends to run to us when they first see us, thinking that we will be able to protect them, even if we are in the midst of a battle."

Robin shrugged in agreement; she had more than a point.

"What do you think we should do?" His voice was very low now, and his lips barely moved when he spoke. Raven didn't answer, but her steady focus guided him to a drain pipe that lead up into the above; her answer was apparent. The Boy Wonder remained unclear.

"I don't think—" He started, the volume of his words growing instead of maintaining its more muffled version, but the Goth silenced him, pressing two fingers to his lips.

"Shh. Just do it," she ordered, and, pushing off from his body, she latched onto a few stray garbage cans that were set close to the pipe. "'I'll be fine,' remember?"

Her last sentence was snotty, she admitted that much, but it touched on a sensitive area—Robin's angry self-defense—and, movements uncertain and cautious, he made his way up the drain, slowly disappearing into the mist. Raven watched him until the last possible second, making sure that he was far away enough, and then collapsed between the two cans in solemn meditation.

**-partners-**

A headache brought her about, as it throbbed, keeping time with her heartbeat; the pain felt like someone had taken a knife and split her head open. Stirring groggily, and her movements similar to the speed of a snail, Starfire's lovely eyes cracked open to peer feebly at her peculiar surroundings; the room appeared to be a dull, damaged gray, and mountains of supply crates were stacked all about her. Cold metal seared against her skin and the exposed areas of her back—a faint, unwilling groan slipped out from between her dry, parted lips, and a deep chuckle followed.

"Hey, check it out: One of the freaks is up."

_Freaks? _she thought, instantly confused.

More laughter, louder and cruder than the first, rang in her sore ears.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," a coarse, male voice called to her. Starfire's eyebrows knitted together in a small frown, and her eyelids fluttered fully open. Two strangers sat in front of her, seated at a small table; a deck of cards, and a collection of assorted objects littered the surface. The men—clothing filthy, faces caked with dirt, and beards tangled and knotted—had been previously fixated on their cards, but they lay down the hands they'd been dealt and came over to examine her.

"She's a pretty one," the second—and ruder—one observed with a somewhat lecherous grin; Starfire recoiled in her disgust as best as she could, struggling against the chains—in her weakened state, though, her extra strength wasn't quite as powerful as usual. The first man made a face at her struggles, before explaining in a matter-of-fact manner:

"It's no good wriggling around, dearie. If you put up too much of a fuss, the boss will just give you a shot to decrease your little abilities, or—" He gestured carelessly to the side. "—take his exasperation out on the other two."

For the first time, the alien noticed the limp, dangling figures of Beast Boy and Cyborg beside her own; she failed to repress a gasp of shock.

"What have you done to them!" She screeched, hardly caring that her voice broke at the start of her rant. "If you have damaged them, you shall—"

She was cut off in the middle by a sharp backhand, and her own piercing cry, triggered by the pain and surprise of the hit. The first man glared at her as he took a few steps backward.

"And that's just a taste of what'll happen to you if you start shooting your mouth off again, girlie. I advise you shut up."

Starfire couldn't even spit out one of her long-winded insults, too occupied by the burning sting that was spreading over her right cheek.

"Now that you've calmed down," her attacker explained, and he rummaged about in a suitcase placed next to their table. Star, even though she felt overcome with a rush of humility, managed to squeak out:

"Who are you? What do you want with us? What have you done to the city?"

The second man raised his fist, preparing to punch her again, and she curled up defensively—it made him snigger disrespectfully.

"You're in fine position to be making demands," the first mumbled absently, at his return; he was fondly rubbing a cloth over a large knife. A feeling of apprehension reared up somewhere inside Starfire's chest.

"But actually, _we'll_ be the only ones doing the interrogating here."

With a sweeping movement, the knife whistling as it passed through the air, the sharp edge of the blade came to rest at Beast Boy's throat. Starfire's pure eyes widened unbelievingly.

"NO! If you harm him—"

A broad hand whipped out of nowhere and struck her once more.

"We warned you about talking," the first said carelessly, and then moved on.

"Our boss would be here to carry out this little task with you brats, except that he had a small dispute with his boss earlier on—"

"'It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye…'" The second man grumbled darkly.

"—So at his request, we're here." He gave her a false, toothy smile, of which she pretended not to acknowledge.

"Now, our leader had a little assignment: He was supposed to capture you, and the rest of your pesky friends, but two of them managed to slip through his fingers. You're going to help bring them to the teams we have back down on the ground."

Starfire's expression said plainly that she would have preferred to decapitate herself, than turn Robin and Raven in; the guy with the knife smirked.

"Of course, if you don't want to speak, we can just simply—" He nicked the green changeling's neck with the exact tip, and a line of blood trickled from the cut.

"Don't!" The Tameranean found herself blurting. "Please, do not hurt him, or I—"

The second man covered her mouth with one of his hands, and she listened as his companion chortle cruelly.

"Sweetheart, you don't need to panic. All you've gotta do is use that nifty little gadget—" He pointed at belt, where her communicator hung. "—to call up your leader and the last kid that escaped, tell them you're free and in a certain part of the city where one of our recovery teams are."

Starfire shook her head as violently as her captor's grip would permit. She couldn't betray her friends! Not to these ruthless, cold criminals; she would never be able to forgive herself. But at the same time, Beast Boy's life was bordering on the thin line between living and dying…

Feebly, the alien writhed against the bonds that restrained her, in a last—and useless— attempt to avoid the inevitable decision. If she brought Robin and Raven into a trap, she and the other two would lose all ideas of being rescued, yet Beast Boy's fate was the one in immediate danger. And, she half-heartedly suggested, perhaps Robin and Raven would manage to slip through the clutches of their enemies; after all, there was always a chance…no matter how slim…

With eyes that quivered with tears of regret and wrath, Starfire nodded her compliance, and the second man retrieved the canary yellow communicator and flipped it open for her to call Raven.

The first man smiled in smug victory, and put the knife away.

**-partners-**

Robin's bare fingers were torn and bleeding—he'd been forced to remove his gloves, because the fabric had been shredded all too easily as he scaled—as concealed bits of outward jutting metal dug crevices into his flesh. Even as he traveled upward, he kept his ears strained for sounds of a problem beneath him; so far, everything had been relatively peaceful.

With a final heave, the Boy Wonder latched onto the roof, arms shaking with the effort, and pulled his body over the top. The climb, would have been easier under different conditions, had weakened him to a certain extent, and he wished mentally, as he got to his feet, that whoever was up here was willing to assist them.

He briefly surveyed the view—no one in sight, and the short ascent had proven to be beneficial; he now also had a more than vague conception of where they were headed, and, selecting the path that would be easiest for them to travel, headed back towards the edge to call down to Raven. A voice, though, stopped him in his tracks.

"Leaving so soon?"

Robin whirled on the ball of his left foot, intending to lash out with a kick, but Slade caught his heel almost lazily, as he looked down condescendingly at the thrashing child. The boy, in the meantime, was trying his best to keep himself balanced, or he'd go plummeting over the side; on the other hand, he refused to let Slade help him in any way, shape, or form. Talking softly and quickly, so as not to worry Raven, he whispered:

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He may have sounded hushed and a bit mild, but his eyes held all the venom.

"How did you find me? Were you following us?"

Slade's fingertips bit into Robin's foot, and he replied, in his typical, unperturbed way:

"But of course, my boy. You didn't think I'd given up, just because you ordered me to? Besides—you're one to know about disobedience."

Robin twisted his leg violently, taking brief gaps in the struggle to glimpse at the ground, where Raven remained patiently.

"Get away from me," he commanded murderously. "I swear to God, if you don't leave us alone, I'll—"

"Robin?"

His Gothic companion was calling to him, no doubt curious if he was all right and required backup or not. Both men exchanged looks—Robin's one of fury, and Slade's amused glint—when suddenly the villain released his imprisoned foot, spinning the kid around so fast, he had no time to react as Slade traded his vice grip for the Boy Wonder's arm and twisted the limb behind his back.

"Tell her you're fine," the criminal demanded, "or I'll break her neck."

He flexed the fingers of his free hand in front of Robin's face, as if demonstrating how simple it would be.

There was hesitation below, and then Raven shouted:

"Robin, are you okay? I'm coming up…"

"No!" The masked teenager blurted, giving Slade a sweeping look of hatred in the process. "You shouldn't waste your energy with flying. I'm good, I'll be right down…"

"Good boy," the invisible lips breathed from behind the grate in the orange and black mask. The muscles in the arm tensed, if it was possible, even more—

_"Gotcha!" The young father cried in mock success, bursting forth with the last of his speed and grabbing the boy he'd been chasing. The child yelped, and backtracked to avoid yanking his arm out of his socket, then let out an exhale of disappointment._

_"No fair," he contradicted and pouted at his father, though his eyes still glimmered with the thrill of the game and the heat of the chase. "You cheated!"_

_The older man let out a bellow of laughter, right as his son leapt at him, and the two tumbled over backwards, landing with a muffled thump on the grassy lawn. The boy was giggling so hard, he looked on the verge of tears…_

—Slade felt the sharpened curve of a birdarang press against his neck, and saw the tiny smirk Robin wore. Raven was still speaking from where she stood at the foot of the structure.

"I just got a call from Starfire. She sounds fair, a little weak, but otherwise good. Beast Boy's with her; they're in the northeast area of downtown. I've been meditating, and I've gathered some strength to help me along if something comes up, so I'm going to go check it out…um…is that all right by you?"

Robin grimaced at the option of letting Raven go off by herself, but once Slade was taken care of…

"Sure. Just keep your communicator on; I'll track your movement and meet up with you in a couple of minutes. Stay on your guard."

"No problem."

The two waited until the Gothic demon's tread had faded into the distance, and then rounded on one another.

"How's this sound to you? You release my arm, and I won't cut your throat—deal?"

Slade shook his head, the picture of reluctance, and consented.

"I do feel sorry for the girl," he commented lightly, as Robin massaged feeling back into his bicep, birdarang still clutched near to him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your two little team mates, Starfire and Beast Boy—they didn't call her. She's walking into a trap."

**-partners-**

Naomi reclined listlessly against the stump that was the remains of the otherwise obliterated podium where the false mayor had stood a few hours earlier, her black gaze tracking her boss as he paced restlessly, muttering foul words beneath his breath.

"Something wrong, Boris?" She finally wondered aloud. "You seem a bit uptight."

The bounty-hunter froze and swiveled his head to lock his new, single eye on her face. A white handkerchief was knotted in his fist, though the cloth was stained a vibrant red from his tries at stifling the flow of blood that poured out of his left socket.

Naomi's cat-like smile widened, and her tongue darted out to moisten her pure crimson lips at the sight of the injury, adding to the eerie atmosphere that surrounded her; her boss had always been arrogant, and DeFarge had finally taken time to drop Boris' ego a few notches. The German opened his mouth to curse at her, then thought better of it, and resumed his marching, now throwing evil expressions at her when he found it convenient. She only waved and smiled back, her strangely white teeth looking like a vampire's in the evening. Truth be told, Naomi had actually had her incisors sharpened to points, to add to the ferocity of her appearance during a job—and Lord, did it freak out the people of this place!

"Did one of the Titans make the call?" She asked again, after giving him some time to simmer down at her last comment. Boris eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes. David and Carl dropped a line earlier—the red-head convinced the other two to swing by."

His female assistance chuckled.

"Perfect. I can't wait to see what these snots are made of."

"Don't get cocky," Boris warned her, sounding surprisingly distressed for a moment there. Naomi shot him a sidelong look, and he explained:

"These 'snots,' as you say, are a lot stronger than other targets we've handled in our careers. You may just want to take some more caution with them—especially these two."

"Why?"

"The boy's rumored to be a ruthless psychotic, and the girl that's accompanying him is an empath. So, just…watch your back at all times."

Naomi yawned, unconcerned.

"Don't I always?" She mocked, and Boris groaned in his annoyance.

"Get yourself killed, then. What do I care? It'd be one less bother, following my damned missing—"

The woman was no longer listening to his complaints, and held up her palm for silence, ears risen slightly to catch the faintest of sounds.

"What is it?"

Naomi couldn't contain her wolfish glee as she motioned for her partner to take to his hiding place and prepare for the ambush.

**-partners-**

Raven, much to her displeasure, found herself chewing on her bottom lip in anticipation as she arrived at the scene of the explosion. Although she trusted Starfire, she still felt that precaution was necessary when it came to delicate circumstances like this.

The demoness inched her path around the scattered and the mutilated bodies, while an awful sensation—as if a giant fist had clenched around her midriff—grew in her gut. All kinds of people…teenagers, no older than her, elderly folks, men and women, little children…all of them stared up at her with glazed, accusing eyes, as if knowing that she could have healed them, saved them, and instead chose to flee. The putrid guilt was like poison, and it made her want to be sick.

Raven moaned and swayed on the spot.

"Starfire? Beast Boy? Can either of you hear me?" She yelled as loudly as she could, for once not regarding the dangers that she might attract—all she was interested in at the moment was leaving behind this death-plagued nightmare that she stood directly in the center of.

"Are you guys there? Hello?"

The sound of her voice in the empty space sounded so lonely, so mournful, like a spirit that had lost their way, and Raven hated it.

"STARFIRE! BEAST BOY! Is anybody out there!"

Nothing.

Uneasiness and puzzlement made her head spin, colors and scenery beginning to run together like wet paint on an artist's canvas; where was Star? She'd called, said she'd be right about this area—

A footstep fell somewhere ahead, or so her senses alerted her; it was too heavy to belong to either of her friend's, and since Robin hadn't come yet…

"Crap," she mumbled frantically, and started to back away toward whence she came. Gosh, how could she have been so stupid, as to fall for something as unsubtle as this? It was no surprise that Starfire hadn't seemed quite right: If she'd fallen into the arms of the invaders, she would definitely be weak and afraid.

"Are you going already?" A sneering tone rang out at her, and a second or so later a woman dropped from her perch on the shadowy eaves of a small office building; the new opponent had dirty blond hair, but thick, black eye mascara provided a contrast, and her upper lip curled back to reveal animalistic teeth.

"We haven't even had time to properly introduce ourselves," came another call, this one male. A muscular man trailed out, blocking the only road out that wasn't cluttered with wreckage; his voice was tinted with the tiniest bit of a German accent, and a bloody white cloth had been tied about one of his eyes. Both of them regarded her as a predator might its prey…and as she couldn't fly, there was no way out that would not result in a brawl.

**-partners-**

"What are you talking about? Starfire wouldn't betray us if her life depended on it!"

"Are you so naïve that you would fail to consider what she would do if someone _else's _life were jeopardized?" Slade snapped, stalking over to stand on the opposite side of the rooftop where he disdainfully observed Robin from a distance. "Think, boy!"

Robin gritted his teeth as he considered the painful stakes.

"If what you're saying isn't a lie," he muttered slowly, walking in the direction that Raven had headed, "then I see no reason for me to stay here any longer."

As if to finalize his resolve, he removed a jumpcord from his belt. Slade said not a word, letting him turn in preparation to begin his traveling over the jungle of buildings that awaited him, then said flatly:

"Exactly what match do you think you are against trained professionals, men and women who make their living off of the destruction and kidnapping of people much more important and effective than you or your compatriots?"

Robin didn't react, and instead shot off his jumpcord and glided into the night. The mastermind watched him go, then slipped over edge himself and followed.

**-partners-**

Purple and green bruises were already blossoming on Raven's flesh amidst a collection of cuts and scrapes, all gifts from her antagonists. If she were well-rested and better fit for the present challenge, she might have been able to put up a more successful front, but from their combined efforts over the last five or so minutes, they were already wearing her out at an impossible rate.

Raven did notice that both man and woman alike carried lethal weapons in concealed compartments in their clothing, though they refrained from using them, giving her the impression that they were almost testing her skills.

With a roar of exertion, the empath lifted the remains of a truck with her mind and sent it hurtling through the air at the two; they seemed unfazed by the oncoming collision, and in a second, Raven knew why—the "people" she thought she was seeing were mere holograms; the copy of the man waved at her from where he stood, even as the image flickered from contact with the truck and called scornfully:

"Watch your back!"

The mocking advice came too late, and the Goth screamed in agony as she felt the first inch of a blade bury itself into her shoulder; cold-blooded laughter rang in her ears, as she dropped, groping for the handle to try and yank it out.

The man and woman came up stealthily behind her—she could see them in her mind, smirking at her kneeling form. What she didn't see coming was the blow…

_Whap!_

Naomi snickered as the young teenage girl slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, her thin, spidery fingers twirling the lead pipe that had knocked the kid into next Tuesday. Boris, however, knelt down professionally and checked the Gothic looking girl's pulse.

"She's still alive," he remarked dryly, "despite the fact that you seemed intent on bashing her head in with that thing."

Naomi gave him another one of her infamous grins and bent over to pick up the girl's limp form—

At the exact same time, a blazing red boomerang slashed through the air, stopping beside the psychic Goth's body, as well as staying the female bounty-hunter's hand.

"The next time you try and touch her, it'll hit its mark," an impetuous young voice snarled at her, and Naomi and Boris noticed an ebony-haired young man crouching atop a ruined structure, one of his bleeding hands cradling another one of the red objects.

Boris' eyebrows flew into the deep brown mass that was his hair.

"'Robin,' I presume?"

The boy inclined his head, mask narrowing along with his eyes.

"Now: Leave her alone."

Naomi glanced back and forth between the imperious figure of Robin, and the sprawled, thin frame of Raven across the concrete; then she licked her lips, and called in a sly manner:

"Well then…bring it on."

A small half-smile curved Robin's mouth, as he obliged.

**To be Continued…**

(Lets out a deep breath) Well, I think that's the longest chapter I've done for this story yet! (See, I was kind of noticing that I wasn't putting forth my best effort, and I seriously regretted it—so now, here I am, making up for it. My sincerest apologies.) Anyway, so hope you liked this, please review, and **psychicflower**? **Dlsky's** email address is if you still need it.

Catch you all later!

Rebel


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys! I want to apologize for updating a week late—last Saturday, though, I was gone the entire day, and I hadn't had the time to work any farther on the chapter (I keep getting sick, which explains my long, annoying absence from **Alexnandru**: I can see why Naomi would bug you. I know the feelings that run through a person when they find out their younger sibling's being bullied—I practically slugged a guy in gym class once, because he'd been picking on my little sister.) **PixieGirl13**: Thanks so much! Wow—I'm glad you like this! Creepy, also, that your sister is like Naomi! Eep! To **Infamous One**: Yeah, I know…(sighs) I just really wish it would stick around a lot longer…this is one of the few cartoons that have come out in awhile that I've stuck with for so long, and it's going to suck to see it go off air. **Kaliann** and **Robinfan**: Thanks guys. I hope you both got my email. And Kali—is it _really_ one of the top twenty? I knew it was popular, but I had no idea…well, thanks for reviewing and writing a letter.

Anyway: Here's the update!

Chapter Five:

When he'd first heard of Robin, he'd been interested in the boy for one, sole purpose: He was Batman's brat, stupid enough to break away from the "Dynamic Duo," and head to another city—conveniently opening himself up to any of the villains in Gotham who happened to be especially pissed off at the Dark Knight, and were looking for some way to strike against the hero.

After their first three encounters, Slade had noted that the famous Boy Wonder seemed to be holding back on his full potential whenever they fought. Either he was still on the Bat's leash, or he was worried—or perhaps even frightened—by what he might have the ability to do. It was puzzling to the man, but he disregarded it. If the little hero didn't want to fight as well as he could, it only made it easier for Slade to kill him.

Then the little fool had posed as Red X, in the idiotic hopes of trapping him with the so-called "partnership" they'd arranged. Instead, it had opened Robin up like a book, and Slade had taken the perfect opportunity to flip through the pages and examine what lay inside.

Passion, aggression, denial, rage, terror—hatred. All were tools that could be used against the young man, to bring him to his knees; then there was nothing that the boy could do to stop Slade from murdering him in his weakened state, and leaving the body behind for Batman to pick up.

Of course, the villain did something even more humiliating, a longer lasting punishment that Robin would remember for many years to come.

It was during that time—that brief, satisfying time—, when Robin had worn Slade's colors, had the madman discovered much more about the Boy Wonder's spirit; how fragile and confused it was, the thin border that the youth balanced on to avoid plummeting into the chaos that a criminal's life was riddled with.

He also had realized that Robin's personality had reminded him of someone he'd known once, long ago…

The brat was fortunate: If he hadn't behaved so similar to a little child that dwelled now only in the past and Slade's memories, the mercenary would have left him at the mercy of the bounty-hunters and DeFarge.

On the other hand, this was probably the exact same reason that Wade was hell-bent on capturing the boy.

Slade sighed quietly in exasperation, as he watched the violent scene taking place below; Robin was putting up an adequate fight against the woman and the other one-eyed man. Raven's body was lying to the side, out of harm's way. Every so often, the boy attempted to lunge for his friend—the woman countered him every time, kicking him sharply in the ribs, or delivering a swift, but powerful, backhand that sent the kid staggering.

The mastermind's original plan had been to intervene and drag the child (kicking and screaming if worse came to worse) away; unlike Robin, Slade had faith that the Goth girl would no doubt lose her temper, or give way to fear when she awoke. Both were strong feelings, and from what he had heard about her experiences with these two emotions, he certainly pitied her captors.

But now…

Robin had certainly provided a great amount of struggle, making it extremely difficult for Slade to explain anything. For the moment, he was going to step back and watch the fight. Hopefully, the boy would get considerably thrashed by the two…

Though his smug mirth ruled most of his judgment, a kernel of guilt still lingered in the back of Slade's mind.

**-partnership-**

Robin spun nimbly out of the way as One-Eye threw a heavy punch at his midriff, before flipping out of the way as the girl gracefully swept her heel through the air, no doubt trying to break his nose. Raven's limp form lay out of the corner of his eye, and he hoped that the blow to her head hadn't been severe. Poor Rae had been beaten up already, not to mention ashamed that she had failed to respond fast enough to save some of the citizens; she didn't need any more stress to cope with.

Stepping slightly near his fallen friend, Robin took out his bo-staff and assumed a defensive stance, silently daring them to come forth. One-Eye hesitated, but the girl merely smiled and ran forward to meet his challenge with a series of violent kicks. The boy neatly blocked each of them, and then twisted around to slam his heel directly into her throat; steel connected with her Adam's Apple, sending her flying over pavement to land a few feet off from her acquaintance.

The man stared back and forth between the girl's motionless form and Robin with appraising eyes. The Boy Wonder, on the other hand, swallowed hard as he worked around the lump in his throat, and his staff clattered to the ground.

_He'd **killed** her._

"Good hit," One-Eye commented, voice carrying undertones of German descent. The male bounty hunter now watched Robin unblinkingly, and the young hero felt as though he were pinned under an x-ray. Slowly, the Titan strode over to the woman's side, heart beating apprehensively at his handiwork…

"But not good enough."

Robin had no time to recover from his shock, before he found himself flying through the air: His back arched painfully as he went crashing into the base of a crumbled office building, and he slumped to his knees, brain still buzzing in astonishment. The girl casually picked herself up and brushed her limbs for any dust—acting as though nothing had happened in the first place!—, then stooped to retrieve his staff that he had dropped.

"Whassamatter, kid?" She hissed wickedly, mouth formed in a devious smile that showed off her fangs perfectly. "Giving up already?"

Robin didn't answer, but concentrated on forcing himself to stand up. How had that woman survived the kick to her throat? He'd learned, during his training with Batman, that the throat was a weak point, and one of the best places to aim for if you were trying to deliver a fatal blow. But…the girl had just gotten right back as if it'd been a minor attack…

How was that possible?

The Boy Wonder was so puzzled by the lack of logic in the situation, that he didn't see the streak of silver come rushing at him until—

_THWACK!_

Blood roared in his ears like the downpour of a waterfall; bright spots expanded and burst before his vision like multi-colored bubbles, and his head throbbed agonizingly. Robin found himself tripping clumsily over his own feet as he staggered backwards. Meanwhile, somewhere in the distance, the German man was screaming in rage at his compatriot.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The female scoffed arrogantly.

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?"

One-Eye spluttered incredulously.

"It was bad enough smacking the empath around with that pipe!" He bawled. "We're supposed to bring the boy in alive, not his freakin' corpse with a fractured skull!"

Robin blinked furiously, clearing away the incessant watering that was making his eyes swim. He was sprawled a ways off from the vicious argument taking place, a lump the size of a golf ball growing rapidly on the side of his head; his mind was whirling wildly, as though it were a helpless prisoner aboard an insane merry-go-round…but there didn't appear to be anymore injuries that would hinder him.

The German and the girl continued to bicker, momentarily forgetting their target, and Robin began creeping towards the unconscious Raven. If he could just grab hold of her, he'd have the ideal opportunity to throw down a couple of smoke bombs, and use a jump cord to escape.

At the same time, even if he did rescue Rae, there was still the issue regarding the others. This simple fight had given him only a taste of what he was up against, what their new adversary's were capable of…

…Somehow, he'd sort it out…later on, perhaps, when his brain didn't feel so rattled…

"We're paid to do this sort of thing, dammit! Dead _or_ alive—we still get cash."

"The Ravager told us to make sure that we captured this one, _while_ he was still breathing I might add."

The Ravager: There was that name again.

"Why's this little asshole so important?" The girl kept demanding.

"You want to know so badly! Then ask DeFarge when we get back!"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Robin was so close to reaching Raven…one of his hands began creeping down to remove a jump cord from his utility belt…

"All right. We'll grab him and go—hey!"

_Crap_, Robin thought frantically and lunged for his Gothic friend—

Another slam was delivered to his head, and this time the edge of the bo-staff sliced into his forehead as well: Stars winked brightly at him from amidst the blackened, blood-stained veil that was being draped over his eyes again…

Far, far away, the German groaned:

"You like doing that too much…"

One of Robin's hands stretched out to touch Raven's, but he grew weaker with every passing second; just out of his line of vision, a slight shadow moved soundlessly but briskly near the four…

_What's going to happen to us **now**…?_ The boy wondered drowsily, blissfully losing himself in the nothingness that came to claim him…

**-partners-**

"_Rest, Robin…rest…"_

_He didn't want to, but the voice was lulling him back to his dreams…the cut across his forehead and scalp burned; the immense pain caused him to swoon, dipping back into nightmares of the Titans and what cruel fate awaited them with the one-eyed man, and his monstrous, female assistant…_

**_'Robin!' Starfire was shrieking his name, while a faceless evil slit her throat…Cyborg was being overpowered by what seemed like a thousand men; Beast Boy was bleeding from cuts inflicted all over his body; Raven sank to her knees before the two attackers he'd faced—but the female clenched a sword this time, instead of a pipe. She smirked gleefully, and swung the silver blade down in a horrifyingly slow arc—_**

_He was coughing; hacking and gasping as he tried to breathe…his mouth was forced open, and cold liquid—soothing, and yet it seemed to ignite a red-hot flame in his stomach—surged down into him, causing his to gasp for air, and struggle weakly. Hands, enormous by the feel of them, held him still, while the odd medicine—he was guessing that was what it was—continued to flow inside him. He retched for air; someone swore loudly, and a moment later, another kind of potion filled his mouth. It was bitter on his tongue, and he tried to vomit, or spit it out, but only more of the foul drink was poured…eventually, he gave up and drank it without resistance, hating every swallow…_

_**—Bodies were laid in the streets, as a group of ferocious looking men and women marched up and down; they were laden with weapons, and were no doubt responsible for the deaths of all the people. The innocents that remained went screaming, fleeing before the army of villains, only to be shot down as their flesh was pelted with heavy bullets as they were fired from guns—**_

_"Relax, Robin…"_

_He was slightly aware that he'd been writhing uncontrollably during his feverish, hazy nightmare. The hands were holding him still again, and he released all tension in his body under their grip. He didn't have the strength to fight back, anymore. He was just so exhausted…_

_"Sleep."_

_And so he did._

**To be Continued…**

Okay, okay, I admit: For all the time I took to update on this story, I didn't include much in this chapter. I'm REALLLY sorry. Heh, heh—don't hurt me! (Cowers beneath desk.) Okay, so mainly from Robin's POV, except for that little excerpt with Slade reviewing the situation at hand…which, I guess, was a little pointless, and a little necessary, considering. You'll see. Anyway, next chapter: Robin wakes up and gets extremely pissed off, Starfire keeps suffering; Beast Boy gets a little frantic. Plus, little hints as to why Naomi didn't die (curse it! I hate her too…even though it's my fault for creating her) when Robin smashed her throat in.

See you next time! (Don't flame me for making it short! I'll do better!)

Rebel


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry that this chapter is a week late guys; I know that all you who are reading my other stories know what a terribly slow updater I am, and apologize for that. Once I work out a plan on how to work around my school and homework and my Tae Kwon Do, I should be able to write more. I'm mostly late because I just had an awful bout with the flu (yes, sick again) and it took me awhile to recuperate. Anyway: I'm back for another chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy this new update; I also hope all of you had a good holiday! And now, on with it...

Chapter:

"...Oh…my head…"

Naomi's eyes fluttered open, vision bleary as she gazed about in confusion. Boris lay a ways off, unconscious it looked like, from the lump on his head; the Goth girl from the Titans was curled nearby, in the same state as her boss...Now that was odd: They hadn't lost the captive, and her partner seemed to still be breathing…so why did she feel like something had gone terribly wrong?

_Apart from the fact that you wake up, with no clue how you got conked out in the first place,_ she thought wryly, as she got to her feet and attempted to steady herself. Boris might have been drinking a little too much again before the mission—although he'd seemed sober, she never really could tell with him. As for her…maybe she accidentally banged herself out when she had smacked that puny Boy Wonder over the—

"Crap."

That's what was out of place.

Naomi winced, picturing how the whole situation was going to look to DeFarge, much less how they were going to explain it when they themselves didn't even know what had happened. Maybe she'd even get her eye stabbed, like Boris.

Despite her love of pain and suffering, she didn't exactly relish the idea of going through the rest of her life handicapped; it would drastically impair her job.

The woman shook her head as she imagined the prospect, while gently rubbing at the lump on the back of her head; it was massive, she had to admit, as if someone had struck her on the head with some kind of pole…rather similar to the one that Robin was apparently so fond of using. Perhaps he'd been the one to cause her to black out, and then he had run away—after all who knew how long she'd been out? That was a rational suggestion…Even though she'd seen him faint and had just been about to tie him and his friend up when something silver had come streaking out of nowhere, and slammed into her skull.

She strained her memory, trying to recall what had occurred, and yet everything came back as blank and thick as fog…Naomi had never been known for an exceptional memory. The only conclusion she could reach was that Boris had been the second one to go down, and might remember something out of all the chaos. Unfortunately, that meant waiting until the man was up and ready to move, before she was able to question him; that also meant they'd be late in their delivery of Raven to DeFarge, which would put him in an even worse temper.

All things considered, she'd be lucky if she could still walk when he was through with them.

Naomi heaved a sigh and sat down beside her captive and boss, while taking the opportunity to plan out exactly what kind of story she was going to feed the Ravager.

**-partners-**

Surprisingly, Robin hadn't been any trouble at all.

The instant he had seen the boy fall, and swooped in to rescue him, Slade had been preparing himself for the moment when the brat would wake up and begin screaming at the him—completely and ungratefully ignoring the fact that the man had saved him from the clutches of the Ravager—that he had left Raven behind, as well as prevented the child from rescuing the rest of his infernal friends.

This, however, was not the case.

Slade had prided himself on being able to read Robin like an open book, and had used it on many an occasion to taunt the Boy Wonder into losing his temper, and the fight on top of it. He had thought—and was usually correct—that he could predict the young man's reaction to any situation.

Yet now…

Robin had been asleep for at least an hour, and showed no sign of waking anytime soon; perhaps that woman had struck him harder than Slade assumed…or maybe the boy was just exhausted from spending so much of his time crime fighting, and staying up during those long nights studying criminals—Slade in particular—and this was the first time he'd truly been able to rest?

Whatever the case, the man certainly wasn't going to complain delaying the annoying conversation the two of them were most certainly going to have, regarding the other Titans.

Slade turned away from the single, operating table in the warehouse where Robin was sleeping, and returned to sifting through a supplies crate. After all—there was still a slight chance that his plan might work, and he wanted to be prepared when the boy consented…

Much to his aggravation, however, a small kernel of guilt had begun worming its way into his stomach.

Ever since he'd heard Wade had been making his way towards the city, Slade had spent all his time investigating, trying to discover what kind of team his enemy had employed, his mode for traveling; and his motive. It was this last one that had particularly interested him: Yes, he knew only too well that Wade hated his guts, but after so many years without them seeing each other…what would suddenly spark DeFarge's interest in "reuniting"?

After wasting a good amount of time beating information out of the punks and teenagers of the Underground, Slade had gotten the exact kind of information he'd needed, although he hadn't exactly been expecting the shocking answer he had uncovered…he hadn't also been thrilled at his reaction to the news. He would have expected to be indifferent, if not slightly amused by Wade's ridiculous assumptions. Instead…

Slade sighed, and set aside the crate's contents, pausing to think hard.

He should have stayed out of this whole mess, rather than allow himself to get tangled up in the problem, just like Wade had been expecting him to. Why did he care what happened to Robin? Better for him if the rotten teen was killed, right? It would affect his life in the slightest!

_You know why you saved him_, a smug voice informed him from the back of his head.

"Good God," Slade murmured fretfully, and glanced back at over at the unconscious boy to guarantee that the young hero couldn't hear him.

"I'm getting soft…"

**-partners-**

(**A/N:** For the readers' benefits—this is a flashback. Heh, sorry…)

_He'd never imagined himself the kind of man who would settle down and raise a family to begin with, and yet here he was: A home, a wife, two children, a civilized job…_

_…Well, at least during the day._

_He had been lying to Addie for quite some time now, about his whereabouts during the evening hours; yes, he felt guilty—but he knew she wouldn't understand if he told her the truth. She'd given up the dangerous life style they'd both once lived, to make way for, as she put it, "a much more important phase in their lives": Parenthood._

_There was nothing wrong with that; he loved his children very much!_

_But you know what they say: Old habits die hard. And besides, what Addie and his kids didn't know wouldn't hurt them—_

_**There was so much blood, spilling everywhere, staining his hands and clothing; a woman screamed in the background; so much blood—**_

_—There was no reason for him to worry about them. As long as he kept his business a secret, everything would be..._

_Perfect._

**-partners-**

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the absence of light, despite the fact that, the last time he had been awake, it had been at night; still, though the city had had a considerable chunk of it destroyed, he would have thought that there would still have been at least a few lights on.

Robin groaned, and rolled over onto one side to curl up into a ball—he felt miserable, like he was going to be sick to his stomach, and his head was throbbing terribly. That stupid bounty hunter was stronger than she seemed.

He had actually planned on remaining laying down for awhile longer, but the words that greeted his ears next made him instantly alert.

"I see you're awake."

Slade's deep voice was quiet, and unusually peaceful, as if he wasn't interested in arguing, or coming to blows; indeed, from the way he was sitting, one would have thought they were old acquaintances, with one waiting for the other to wake up—he was reclining against a stack of crates, examining a somewhat familiar weapon with vague interest. Robin, however, refused to let his guard down, and climbed down off the table he'd been resting on, before beginning to reach for his belt…

He felt only the cloth of his uniform.

"It's over there in the corner if you were looking for it," the man commented lightly, and nodded his head to indicate the direction. Robin glared, but followed his enemy's line of vision, to find his utility belt folded atop another pile of boxes. He retrieved it swiftly—then turned on the older male.

"What—"

"Happened?" Slade said mildly, cutting him off. The Boy Wonder narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth to listen, as Slade had already taken the words right out of his mouth.

Slade paused a second, as if collecting himself, then put down the weapon he'd been evaluating to stare directly at the boy.

"I'm sure you remember the fight you had with those two bounty hunters?"

Robin automatically reached for the lump on the back of his head, and the criminal nodded.

"Yes, you took a blow to the head. The woman knocked you out, and I attacked her and her partner from behind. I brought you here—we're in a warehouse near the docks, if you were curious," he added, as the teenager prepared to ask another question. Robin stopped short, frowning.

"If you saved me…then that means you were following me."

Slade nodded again, agreeing.

"Even though I told you to leave me alone," the younger man noted tersely.

There was no response to that, and the room became silent. Then:

"What about Raven?"

"What about her?"

"Where—" Robin tried to swallow the panic and concern that was rearing up inside him. "Where is she?"

Slade didn't answer for a very long time, and Robin knew what he was going to say, long before the words were ever spoken.

"You left her behind…"

Neither said anything for many minutes; the quiet stretched on like an eternity, and with each passing moment, the Boy Wonder grew angrier and angrier as he stared at the man. A bitter taste rose in his throat, similar to bile, and he felt himself trembling as he saw his friends awful fates play out in his mind as they had in his dream—

—_Starfire screaming for help, calls dying as the knife sliced her throat; the sword swinging down on Raven; Cyborg and Beast Boy being attacked and killed—_

"You left her…with those monsters," Robin whispered; his voice was quivering unsteadily, as if it might crack at any second.

"You rescued me, but…you left my friends helpless, left them to die, for all we know…"

Slade still wouldn't talk, but the hero was beyond caring. He advanced slowly, till he was standing only a few feet from the villain; his breathing was shaky, and he was trying to stay in control…

…And then he snapped.

"You son of a bitch!"

Robin lost utter control, and flung himself at his adversary, without even a clue of what he was planning to do. He knew his fists were flying every which way, trying to hit as much of Slade as possible, and that the two of them were wrestling for control...he felt his lip split as they slammed into one of the many crates that were scattered about, and a copper taste rush into his mouth…and yet he was like an animal—vicious, unwilling to relent, desperate to hurt, or cause pain…

One of Slade's hands closed around his wrists, restraining them, while the man drew his other up, and backhanded the Boy Wonder across the face.

He supposed that it wasn't meant to cause pain, but rather a sign for him to get a hold of himself, but Robin let out a sharp yell (partly out of rage, partly out of pain), and then went still, waiting for Slade to throw him aside, or something of the sort.

Just to spite the man, Robin glanced up at him defiantly; he was hoping that Slade would get especially riled up, just because of that expression. It had certainly bothered the criminal when the boy had been his apprentice.

But...the look in Slade's eye made him freeze, stunned beyond actions or words. There was a faint glimmer of emotion in that usually cold, and apathetic gray iris, an emotion that Robin knew all too well.

The next thing he knew, he'd been released; he sat, panting, on the ground as he attempted to understand what just happened. Slade stood and strode purposefully over to a battered table in another corner of the warehouse.

"If you want to save your friends, I'm going to have to explain a few things to you…"

**To be Continued…**

It's definitely not the best chapter I've ever written, but I'm afraid it might just have to do. I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, and it will never happen again—I promise. **Dlsky:** I'm SO sorry that I had to ask for more time. I hated doing that, mostly because it's not fair to the other people in the challenge. Even if I come down with pneumonia, I swear I'll never miss another due date.

See you around—

Rebel


	7. Chapter 7

Well, I'm back for a new chapter; and no more waiting three weeks! I'm going back to my original two week schedule…technically, I don't think I should have been switching around in the first place, but things have been complicated (school, illnesses, and this monster of a project for science—thankfully, it all ended on the twenty-seventh. (Heaves a sigh of relief.) Anyway; I shan't delay you any longer. This chapter will be a lot longer, and most likely somewhat better than my current updates…

Chapter Seven:

"I can't _believe_ you let him slip through your fingers!" Boris snapped as he and Naomi drew closer to the launch pad where one of DeFarge's hovercrafts were scheduled to descend and pick them up; he was trying his best to sound frustrated, to act as if it were just another job and he was disappointed that they'd fail, particularly at the idea that they wouldn't get paid. Despite his tries to act unconcerned, though, the fearful tremor was only too evident in his voice.

"I already told you," Naomi retorted bitterly, obviously nettled by his accusation, "that I couldn't have done anything. I was knocked unconscious. Besides, I didn't see you go charging up and demand that we follow him."

"Our time was already up as it was—DeFarge would have been pissed if we'd come back late, even if we had both of the brats," Boris explained, and jostled Raven (who had been slung over one of his shoulders) to emphasize his point.

"As it is, she's good enough; and even if we still didn't snatch Robin, we can always go back."

Naomi considered.

"Yeah, you're probably right; I mean, DeFarge is somewhat short on good help, so he'll probably only kill one of us. Whoever's left alive will most likely be the one to kidnap the snot—I guess."

The two continued on in silence for a few moments; all the while, Naomi's brow furrowed more and more, as she sank into thought. She didn't see why the Ravager would throw a hissy-fit, just because they hadn't nabbed one, stupid little kid. They had the rest of the Titans imprisoned, so it wasn't like they should be expecting some sort of crazy rescue mission, or anything along the lines of that. Why was one dumb teen so stinking—?

"Speak."

The woman blinked, and stared at her companion with a blank expression.

"Sorry?"

"You've got something on your mind, I can see that. You have a question, right? So speak. Let me hear it."

Sometimes, Naomi thought grumpily as she opened her mouth to explain, she wished Boris didn't know her so well.

"I just don't understand why the last kid's such a big deal. After all: Four super-powered heroes are a lot better than one scrawny, average human being, or at least, that's my opinion. Why does Robin matter more than the others?"

She'd expected an apathetic shrug, or a grunt, or something along those lines. But instead, Boris cast a nervous glance towards the ink-black sky as if he honestly was under the impression that someone might drop in and overhear them, before muttering:

"How much, exactly, do you know about this whole invasion of this city?"

"Not much," Naomi admitted truthfully. "When I was hired, all I cared about was the price and the job description…and then I agreed to take it on. I didn't think DeFarge was interested in anything else other than stirring up chaos and destruction. After all—he does seem to like doing that a lot—"

"Did you know that…Deathstroke was involved?"

The bounty hunter's mouth dropped open.

"Deathstroke? _The_ Deathstroke? As in, the Terminator?"

Boris nodded solemnly.

"I thought he was dead!"

"No," her partner said grimly. "He's just been very quiet the past couple of years. There was a rumor going around awhile ago that he had settled down in this city, to start up some trouble, but no one was quite sure, mostly because he dropped his mercenary name."

"But why—?"

"I don't know much, I'll tell you that. But I do know that DeFarge and Deathstroke are enemies: Always have been, always will be. When Wade caught wind that the Terminator was in town, he probably would have been willing to tear the whole city apart, brick by brick, just to find the man."

"You're still not telling me why—"

"Aren't you wondering how Wade found out?"

"Well, yeah, I am—"

"A couple years back, Deathstroke pulled a stunt; a pretty stupid one if you ask me, because it gave away his location, not only to the Ravager, but to plenty other people who would love to track him down. Heroes, for instance."

"_So?_"

"It was out of this one event that DeFarge came up with a way to fight the Terminator. See—and you're not going to believe this," Boris added, allowing himself an incredulous chuckle, "but it turns out that the infamous Deathstroke actually—"

The rest of his words, however, were drowned out by the ear-splitting noise of helicopter blades descending upon them; Naomi and Boris were briefly blinded by the glare of floodlights, before the helicopter landed, right there and then in the middle of the deserted street, and the pilot (another hunter named Julius, who had cropped brown hair and a smarmy look to his face) disembarked and eyed the pair loftily.

"I thought you were bringing back two," he observed rudely. "I wouldn't have bothered flying a larger helicopter over here if I had known it was only going to be you two and _one_ captive."

"And hello yourself, Julius," Boris quipped, shouldering Raven's limp form again. "It's nice to see you too."

Without another word, her companion swept aboard the craft, not even sparing a backward glance; Naomi stared hard at the middle of his back in confusion, barely concealing her look of puzzled anger. Darn Julius…had to sweep in _just_ at that moment…

Oh well. There would be plenty of time later to pump Boris for more information about the relationship between the legendary Deathstroke and the Ravager.

That is, if DeFarge didn't kill either of them first.

**-partners-**

"There is one thing that you must understand about the Ravager," Slade stated seriously, while he removed several crates from the stacks they'd been placed in. Robin was sitting cross-legged atop a box behind the man, glowering, and every so often rubbing the side of his face defensively; otherwise, neither of the two showed any indication of the struggle that had recently occurred.

"And what's that?" Robin spat, though it sounded as if he could have cared less. Slade didn't react, but chose to break open the top of one of the crates, and rifled nonchalantly through its contents.

"This man may be one of the most dangerous people you will ever have the misfortune to meet. When we rescue your friends, I suggest that we proceed with caution."

Robin snorted quietly, but said nothing, and allowed the man to continue.

"The Ravager is a mercenary," Slade announced, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Boy Wonder raising an eyebrow. He brushed past it.

"He has perfected different techniques of killing; the subject of assassination and murder is an art in his eyes. He is ruthless, and dangerous, and stops at nothing to eliminate obstacles in his path; yet, he is also deceptive. If you are ever captured, I suggest you never let your guard down for a moment, no matter how gracious he may appear…"

Slade trailed off, waiting for some bitter retort. Robin was silent for a few moments, before he commented, sounding thoughtful:

"He sounds…a lot like you."

The man laughed cruelly, even as he felt a hollow feeling swallow up his insides at that remark; the teenager had no clue just how right he was…

However, Slade refused to be sentimental in front of his adversary, and quickly blew past the present subject.

"Then you'll be well prepared to face him," he stated practically. "Until then, I'll leave you to selecting and gathering necessary supplies—"

"Huh?"

Slade faced the puzzled Boy Wonder, not even fazed by the interruption.

"What are you talking about, 'selecting and gathering necessary supplies'? Where are we going?"

"You wanted to rescue your friends, did you not?"

"Yes," Robin started to say, "But—"

"And you were planning to pursue the Ravager, were you not?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then we need supplies. The Ravager is keen on hunting you down, but he won't stay for long if Gotham sends over a police force, and they're bound to do so, sooner or later. The Ravager will flee and wait for the officials to leave; then he'll return—though it may be several weeks before he does so…and in that time, who knows? Perhaps one of the Titans decides to annoy him, and he decides, in a rage, to kill them—"

"Shut up!"

Robin was on his feet, eyes narrowed to slits, and his hands balled into fists…even if it was only to keep them from trembling out of anger and fear.

"—so I suppose you'd rather not wait for him to come back?" Slade asked complacently.

The Boy Wonder shot him a poisonous look; it was enough of an answer.

"Good boy," Slade murmured. "I also suggest changing your clothes."

"What!"

"I don't know what kind of land we're going to be traveling over, but I suggest you wear something darker, or less noticeable; you stand out like a canary in that uniform," he added under his breath, knowing well that it would needle his young foe.

The comment did the trick: Robin flushed a dark red, but unwillingly got to his feet, and smashed in the top of the crate nearest to him. Slade nodded briskly to show that he was satisfied, and turned to go, saying over his shoulder:

"If you need me, I'll be outside, keeping watch. Let me know if something is wrong."

He was almost to the door, when Robin spoke again.

"Hey! What about you?"

The man turned slightly on his heel.

"Pardon?"

"Why do I have to change? You go walking into Gotham, or somewhere similar, people are going to recognize your face immediately? The same will happen with me."

"Then we'll avoid the cities, won't we?"

Slade tried to go again, but Robin wasn't finished yet.

"So what's the difference? Why only me? The Ravager knows you, you said; he's going to recognize you right away!"

Slade considered the furious hero, before sighing in exasperation.

"It doesn't matter if he recognizes me, because I'm the only one he was ever interested by in the first place."

"But, then why—?"

"I'm going out now; save your questions for later."

The villain stalked out, shutting the doors of the warehouse tightly behind him, leaving Robin inside. Needless to say, the Boy Wonder was not pleased; he was tired, sore, incredibly confused, and, more than anything, felt like giving Slade a good punch in the jaw. But, much to his own amazement, he followed the man's suggestions, and began digging through different boxes, pulling out food, water, and clothing.

Despite the great aggravation he was feeling at the moment, Robin couldn't stop himself from wondering…if, under the terms of this "partnership" they had formed…if that meant they were allies now. It wasn't as if this was the first time they had joined one another to fight side by side—when Raven's father had had his brief dominion over the world, he and Slade had come together to battle the demon's minions, and find Raven.

It had been an extremely weird situation, and had bothered him for a few nights. Eventually, though, he'd drawn the conclusion that Slade had only wanted to help because he had benefited from Trigon's destruction.

What did Slade have to gain from this?

…Were…were they really partners now?

As Robin strode around, collecting items that were strewn all about the warehouse tables, and floor, he stumbled over the laser—the familiar looking weapon Slade had been fiddling with when he'd first awoken—that had been knocked to the ground during their scuffle.

It was the thermal blaster that Slade had bestowed upon him as some sort of sick "gift" when he was being blackmailed by the criminal.

The Boy Wonder found himself staring at the weapon with mingled fury and regret, as a burning, sick feeling sunk into the pit of his stomach.

Then the sensation passed, and he angrily dismissed the memories, by kicking the laser off into the corner.

No matter what happened, he swore to himself that he would never willing join Slade…and that, even though they were teaming up with one another to save the Titans…if he ever got the chance, Robin swore he'd kill him.

**-partnership-**

Naomi and Boris stood, shuffling their feet worriedly, and attempting to act confidently casual, before Wade's ice-cold gaze. Their merciless employer sat, with his feet propped up on the corner of his desk in the secluded office area he'd created for himself aboard one of the hovercrafts that was their base, his hands folded together, as though he were the very picture of a patient, understanding boss. The expression that lingered in his eyes, though, contradicted everything in his supposed manner, and the two bounty hunters were waiting for the awful moment where he'd order them to be killed out of incompetence.

"Explain to me what exactly happened?" Wade questioned, feigning innocence.

Naomi and Boris exchanged hurried, terrified glances.

"Well…we—we—we," Naomi stuttered, "that is to say, we lured the empath into a trap with that alien girl's call, and we k—kn—knocked her out, you see. So, then, w—we—"

"We were about to capture her and bring her back to the ship, when Robin—"

"—the br—err, boy you were interested in—"

"Yes, well, he swooped in, and demanded that we release her…"

As Wade's face continued to darken, Boris's ramblings grew worse.

"…S…s…so…so…?"

The German looked around vaguely for Naomi, with a bleary, confused looking face, signaling for her to jump in immediately.

"So we fought him. And…and we won! Yeah! We won! I knocked him out as well…but then…just as we were about to tie him up and bring him back with that bird-girl…something—or somebody—must have rammed us, because we both blacked out, and when we woke up—"

_BAM!_

The sudden sound of Wade's feet slipping off his desk to hit the steel floor of the office caused both of the hunters to jump and flinch violently, rather as if they had been expecting it to be the bang of a gun. Instead, the Ravager now looked intrigued, and slight concerned by their story.

"The boy was gone, wasn't he?"

Naomi bobbed his head up and down eagerly.

Wade's brow creased in thought, and he sank back into his chair with a troubled air about him.

"I see…"

There was a moment of silence.

"What are you two wretches still doing in here!" The mercenary snarled viciously. "Get out! I need to think, and I can't do with you pathetic morons hovering around!"

The pair, ready to obey, nodded and stammered apologies as they tripped and fell backwards before closing the door behind them. Only then, in the safety of the hallway, did Boris manage to look triumphant in front of Naomi for a fleeting second, as if to say,

_"I told you so."_

**-partners-**

Wade paced feverishly about his quarters, evaluating the new information that had come to light, thanks to those two idiot hunters:

Slade was definitely here. And what was even more…thrilling, was that he most likely knew what DeFarge was after.

Good. That made the game all the more fun.

There was a knock on the door, and, pausing only to inhale, Wade immediately announced in a curt voice:

"Come in."

One of the new bounty hunters—Julius, he believed it was—entered, looking humble before his employer.

"Mr. DeFarge," he murmured respectfully, inclining his head toward the Ravager. Wade watched, bored by the formalities.

"I hate to disturb you, but I felt you might want to know…Gotham has, unfortunately, noticed the disruption we caused; they're going to be sending the authorities over to investigate."

Wade mused for a moment, and then shrugged to show that he wasn't concerned in the slightest.

"Very well. Announce that we're going to be taking off soon. They can't possibly follow us, where we're going."

Julius bowed his head again to show that he understood his orders, and was preparing to leave, when an awful idea occurred to Wade.

"Actually, Julius," the Ravager said slowly, as a wicked smile crossed his lips. "Before you do that, I've got another idea. Let's go and visit that red-headed alien girl, eh? I think I want to talk to her…"

**-partners-**

_Rivers of red, torrents of blood gushing over his palms and staining them an awful crimson; the expression on the young boy's face, as he stared blankly up into the eyes of his father, while the red poured from his throat. Addie was shrieking somewhere in his ear to, "do something!" …First Grant, his eldest child…now Joseph…_

Though the mask, painted so that the eerie contrast of orange and black had a way of haunting the minds of his adversaries and victims, concealed the face beneath it, Slade was indeed scowling, as he stared down at the miserable reflection that the water below offered up to him. It was the first time that he'd found himself loathing the outfit that he'd so carefully selected and been, astoundingly, proud of throughout the many years of his life.

All because of some damned child.

Robin had never meant anything to him in the beginning; he'd simply seen the boy as some obstacle to be removed from his way, and then later a tool to be used to his own advantage...a tool that would maim the teenager's otherwise spotless reputation, and the pride that the Batman felt from raising someone who was sure to grow up to be a legendary hero—and also, quite possibly, Slade's very downfall.

But now…whenever he looked at that cursed teen, whenever he struck him, or attempted to frighten him, he always saw two other faces leering out from behind the Boy Wonder's own…two other pairs of eyes, staring in shock at him. Perhaps that was why he made a point of trying to beat Robin as hard as he could—because his very presence reminded him so painfully of others he'd been struggling fruitlessly to forget.

...He would never be able to forgive himself nowadays, should he hurt merely one spiked hair atop Batman's prodigy's head, and how he hated knowing it. Slade had truly forgotten what a nuisance a conscience could be…

…Had he also forgotten what it felt like to care about another's life? It seemed as if the other identity he'd once led had lived an eternity ago, and had now faded into the distance, as the world turned, passed it by, left it behind…

Slade's thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the warehouse door behind him, and he straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the wall to face Robin.

The teenager was dressed in simple attire: A black shirt, whose sleeves he'd rolled up around his elbows, and sturdy, dark pants; he still had his utility defiantly slung about his waist, and he'd kept his boots and the mask…but at the very least, he wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Robin was also carrying two small bags that he'd stuffed with food and water, along with blankets, and a sweatshirt for himself. Slade noticed that the boy was regarding him with chilly silence.

"This is what I packed," the teen grumbled, and dropped the bags carelessly on the dock, and staring out at Jump City with a trace of sadness. "I left the weapons up to you."

"Good." Slade hesitated, unsure how to pose the next question. "I…I don't suppose you're willing to remove the mask—"

"If yours stays so does mine," Robin answered with bitter finality, ending the discussion right then and there. Slade didn't press the issue, but rather strode back inside to begin collecting tools and weapons.

It was as he was reviewing his final selections, and tossing some into another bag that Slade found the thermal blaster, lying dented and broken, in the corner.

_Oh, no…_

_**'I might even become like a father to you.'**_

****Had he really said that?

Guilt reared up in his chest, as untamed and mindless as a wild horse might, taking full reign over his mind, senses, and heart.

—_Adeline, Grant Joseph, betrayal, lies, deception, death, **murder**—_

It was an unbelievably powerful mental blow to Slade's already frail self-confidence, and he found himself taking a step backwards to balance himself. It was no surprise that Robin had been exceptionally enraged when he'd emerged from the warehouse—but why should that bother him? Did it disturb him? Was it supposed to? He hadn't cared less about what the boy might think or feel towards him—did he still? Why was it different now? Or was anything different?

Slade was so puzzled by now, and so wrapped up in the chaos of his own thoughts, that he might have been carried off by them if not for the violent scream of utter fear that pierced through them, jolting him back into reality. And then, Robin's own yell of anguish following it.

"STARFIRE!"

**To be Continued…**

Wow! Long chapter this time around—well, long compared to what I've been posting recently. Hope this was good for you guys; I've been feeling in the writing mood again (because, between you guys and myself, this is the first time in months that I've actually felt extremely creative, and free from the burdens of writer's block. Maybe it has something to do with this CD I found recently…Ah, who knows?) Shockingly, I'm feeling up to a challenge, so I'll tell you what: I am going to try to update twice on "Scars of the Past" this week, and you can all come and have a turn whacking me around like a piñata if I don't. See you guys around soon!

Later!

Rebel


	8. Chapter 8

I am about to blast my computer off to the moon, I am so frustrated with it…yeah, there was another problem with my computer and my writing documents (I HATE TECHNOLOGY!), and then Fanfic refused to let me upload any documents for awhile so…I was sort of delayed me again. I am really sorry, and I promise, I WON'T let it happen anymore. Please don't kill me… (Winces, and crawls under the desk like the worm I am). Enjoy the chapter…

Chapter Eight:

**Five minutes earlier:**

Starfire was hanging listlessly, eyes swimming in and out of focus with her tears, when the door to her and her friend's prison banged open, and two men strode in; one looked weak, and whining, while the other…

From the expression of cold, pure cruelty flickering in his eyes, she was only too sure that this was the villain behind their capture. She shrank back as best as the bindings about her arms as they entered and approached her, but the main villain only laughed good-naturedly.

"Now, now, my dear girl; there's no need for that! We're all civilized people here, are we not?"

Starfire's only response was to flinch and edge away as he passed her by, still talking in a casual, airy manner.

"I'm sorry for any injuries my men might have caused to you, or your team members, but it was necessary at the time. You will forgive me, I hope?"

The words were cheerful, and bright, but Starfire was not so bereaved as to hear the mocking ring that resonated in his tone. Instead of looking him in the eye, or even pretending to pay attention to his words, the alien girl tilted her head in the direction that was opposite of him; he seemed to pay no heed to this, and continued to go on walking about her in a circle, explaining his purpose in Jump in a calm, almost lilting voice. For some reason, it disturbed her deeply…it reminded her of something Slade might do to Robin, to play games with her friend's mind…she wondered where the Boy Wonder was, and how he had managed to elude capture, even though he and Raven had been traveling together.

_I must be strong_, she thought desperately. _Robin is not here—so I shall be strong for him. I shall hold on._

"Let's cut to the chase!" The mysterious criminal announced, dragging her back to reality. "Have you, or have you not heard of a man called Slade?"

Starfire blinked, green eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes or no, dear," he added. "It's a simple answer to a simple question."

The girl didn't know what to do. She had no reason not to betray Slade to this curious man—if he were to annihilate their greatest enemy, it would mean that Robin would no longer have to concern himself over the matter of the masked man. However, something kept her mouth shut. What if, instead of killing him, her captor wished to join him, or make a deal with him? Or, what if…what if there was a possibility that Robin had not been captured _because_—

But that was impossible! Oh, why could she not simply comply with the man's demands?

She was in such a turmoil, that she didn't see the other man that had accompanied the criminal fumbling with something in his coat pocket, and barely noticed when the man that had been talking to her made a motion with his hands towards what she assumed was a servant of his in some way.

However, in the next instant, the other man, who had been standing off to the side, flung himself at her, a long knife clenched tightly in his hand; it was aimed for her throat!

Starfire screamed, as if she thought someone might be able to help, or save her…

-**partnership-**

It was lucky that Slade had burst out of the warehouse the minute the alien brat's shriek echoed in the night air, and not a minute later, for Robin was already preparing to scramble over the docks and run off to try and reach his friend. Slade pushed himself forward with his back foot, and jumped, grabbing hold of the boy's arm just as he was about to depart.

Obviously, Robin did not take well to this.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" He shouted, trying to break free. "Didn't you hear that? Star's in trouble—we've got to save her!"

Slade gave the teen's arm a sharp, urgent tug as he tried to hold him back without inflicting injury.

"We can't just go running off like this," he said, trying his best to make it clear to Robin that he wasn't looking for an argument, and that he was only doing his best to reason peacefully. "We need to formulate a plan, first. I know that this must be difficult for you—" For Robin was still pulling, and kept glancing over his shoulder towards the city, not assigning any meaning to Slade's words, but focused more on his friend's peril.

"—and, for all we know, this could be a trap. We can't risk it. Right now, we need to decide what we're going to do; the girl will have to wait."

The instant the words left his mouth, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. Robin froze, and turned, looking appalled, as he stared up at the older man with mounting outrage.

"You asshole!" He spat, wrenching his arm out of Slade's grip. "I can't believe you! The Ravager's after you, probably for some stupid crime you did against him, or something, and now he's taking his anger out on my friend! She's innocent, and she's paying for your screw-ups, your mistakes—"

And suddenly the Boy Wonder's voice changed; it became older, more sophisticated, female, and Slade could hear Addie's voice ranting at him, screaming and wailing as she mourned over her son—

"_Joseph! My poor boy! Why? Why did he have to suffer for **your** mistakes!"_

"—He's probably killed her—"

"_Oh, God, no! My son...not my son!"_

"And it's all because of YOU!"

There were very few times that Slade failed to remain calm and composed; but at this unbearable barrage of verbal abuse and the agony of the past, he, to put it simply, lost it. With a roar of frustration, he lunged forward to grab the unsuspecting Boy Wonder by the lapels, and, swinging him around, slammed him into the wall of the warehouse as hard as he could. Robin gasped in pain, and tried to squirm away, but Slade pinned him and leaned in until their faces were only inches apart.

"If you haven't forgotten, _boy_," he hissed, each and every syllable smothered in icy contempt, "I am the only way you can find your friends, and that, without me, you would be the Ravager's captive by now, alongside the rest of your pitiful friends. And," he added, a sudden thought coming to him, "if it hadn't been for me in the first place, you would be more of a weak, brainless brat than you are now. Now…" Slade said in as soft a voice as he could manage, and slammed Robin against the wall once more, causing the boy to grit his teeth and wince. "As I am wasting much of my time to help you in finding your team mates, as well as putting my neck on the line to fight off bounty hunters, and possibly even the Ravager himself if it comes down it, I would appreciate a bit more gratitude on your part. Understand?"

Robin turned his face away, eyes squeezed shut in loathing, refusing to answer. Slade rammed him against the wall yet a third time, and the wood beneath the hero's body creaked in protest.

"I said, _do you understand_?"

The teen murmured something under his breath.

"I didn't hear that," Slade mocked, thoroughly enjoying himself after all the guilt thoughts that had been weighing him down.

"Yes."

"Good." Slade dropped him and retrieved the bag of weapons, not even sparing his temporary partner a backward glance. "Chances are, they're traveling by air. We'd better start into the city, and we may just hear helicopter blades, or a hovercraft flying by. That will point us in the right direction."

Robin shouldered a backpack and didn't say a word. Slade remained unperturbed, and started along the maze of decks, Robin's lighter tread following his heavy footfalls.

**-partnership-**

The man had stopped a few feet from her, his knife pressed threateningly against her throat. Starfire shut her eyes tightly, and swallowed a sob, frightened, but also thankful that she was alive…

…That is, until a minute later, when a massive hand roughly grabbed a fistful of her crimson hair and jerked her head so that she was looking directly into the main villain's eyes.

"I know that Slade's got your little friend," he informed her smoothly. "And I know that Bird-Boy's going to want to rescue you, and the rest of your pathetic compatriots. Now listen closely, because I'm only going to say this once: _I want Slade's head on a platter_, and, no matter what, nothing gets between me and what I want. So," he said with a nasty smirk, and jerked on her hair. "I need _you_ as bait, to help lure Slade and your leader here; and in exchange, I won't have a motive to kill any of your little friends here—"

Starfire gasped in horror, and her captor slapped her across the face.

"—or Robin for that matter, when I get my hands on him—oh, yes! I will catch him. It's only a matter of time. All you need to do, sweetie, is to do what you're told, and scream when you need to, to keep Slade and your friend on the trail. Got it?"

The Tameranean closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate.

_Robin would not ever give up…I must be strong like him…I cannot fail him; I cannot let Raven, and Cyborg, and Beast Boy die…_

"I said," the man hissed in her ear, "**_got it?_**"

The knife pressed briefly against her throat, and she felt a warm trickle of blood slip down her neck.

_What would Robin do now? What would Robin do…?_

The blade's pressure was removed from her neck, and Starfire's eyelids flickered open to see the man and his associate turning towards Cyborg.

"Slit his throat," the villain ordered. "That ought to get her to say something."

_What would Robin do…?_

The man with the knife nodded with a broad smile, and put the knife up against Cyborg's esophagus.

_He would save us, no matter what._

"NO!"

The villain held up a hand to stay his employee, and turned to face her with a coy grin.

"Did you say something?"

"I will…" Starfire chewed on her tongue until it bled. "I will do whatever you ask."

She hung her head, and muttered:

"Please do not hurt him…"

The criminal gave a belly-laugh, and ruffled her hair, pretending to be almost affectionate.

"I thought you would see it my way. Julius, alert the pilots of take-off. And to you, miss," he said to Starfire, and swept into a gracious bow.

"Thank you, very, _very_ much."

The pair left and the sound of the door closing behind them sounded very much to Starfire like a prison cell being shut tight. In the darkness and the solitude, Starfire hung, shaking violently, tears streaking her dirt-caked face.

**-partnership-**

When Raven first came to, the first thing she heard was the sound of sniffling, and bitter sobs.

The second thing she noticed was that she was chained by her arms to the ceiling of a darkened room, and that there was a steadily throbbing bump at the back of her head.

The Goth shook her head in bewilderment, and craned her head around as she tried to get a better idea of her surroundings; Cyborg and Beast Boy were there, unconscious and bound in a similar fashion as her…so that meant that the crying had to be coming from—

"Starfire!" she croaked into the black emptiness. "Starfire, is that you?"

"F—friend Raven?"

"Yes!" Raven cried, doing her best to muffle her elation. "It's me. Starfire, where are we?"

"I…I am afraid we have been…been taken as prisoners!"

And with this declaration, the alien burst into loud wails once more; Raven took the time to let her friend's information soak in.

"Do you know who's captured us?" She asked finally.

"It is a man," Starfire said, shivering. "He had come to speak with me before you awoke. He is…" She didn't finish; Raven was pretty sure about what her fellow Titan was going to say.

"He talked with you, you said?" The demoness pressed. She felt guilty, about not comforting the girl immediately and saving questions for later, like most other people, but she felt that she needed the basic details if she wanted to start formulating a plan for escape. "What did he say?"

Starfire sniffed, and shook her head.

"He—he knows of Slade," she murmured, "and he wishes for a silver platter on his head."

Raven struggled to make sense of this.

"He says that Slade has Robin, and that they are attempting to rescue us! He says that he will…use me, to draw them after us; as bait. Raven, what shall we do!" She fell back to weeping miserably, and the Goth tried to be as sympathetic as she would allow herself.

"It's going to be okay, Starfire. You shouldn't worry. We're going to get out of this. And Robin can take care of himself; I'm sure we'll see him soon. Don't cry."

So: Whoever their captor was, he was really only interested in capturing Slade…who apparently had teamed up with Robin to save them, though whether it was a willing partnership between the two, she wasn't clear.

Raven bit her lip, and tested her powers. She was still incredibly weak, which meant that she wouldn't be able to do much (she had been thinking around the lines of freeing her friends, and ripping apart their odd prison, but those fantasies would have to wait). She'd have to use very little energy…but she also had to make it count…maybe…and there was no way that Robin or Slade would ever allow themselves to be caught…

"Hang on, a moment, Star," Raven grumbled. "I'll be right back…"

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, feeling her mind slipping out of her body, sliding and coiling in the air before her motionless form like a black snake.

Raven wasted no time in her wraith-like form, but flung herself through the walls, to survey where they were being held. Needless to say, she was surprised to see a small band of helicopters and hovercrafts moving along in a aerial procession.

_Okay_, she thought firmly. _We're heading south…_

She dove straight down, towards the ground; through the clouds, Jump City became steadily more visible, and she focused her mind on finding Robin's presence within the city…

And latched on it, as she flew to the exact spot where he was. Just as Starfire had said, he was with Slade, the two of them walking through the streets at somewhat of a distance from each other. Robin was trailing a ways behind Slade, and Raven swept over to breathe into his ear:

_"South…we're headed south…"_

She felt her body tugging at her, demanding that she return to it, and she let herself be dragged back to the cold, metal holding area, where Starfire was awaiting her return. Raven willed herself to flow back into her body…and then heaved in a gasp of air as she inhabited her body again, and slumped over in exhaustion.

**-partnership-**

Since his emotional outburst back at the warehouse, Slade had been collecting himself during their walk…

And now felt guilty and heavy-hearted all over again.

The villain marched along determinedly down the road, trying to ignore his growing aggravation with himself, and his other thoughts and feelings; how he was getting sick of caring about somebody else besides himself, how he was starting to hate himself, and hate Robin even more…

Slade had decided, earlier on, that, unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't bother talking to the boy. It would make the experience far less painful for both of them, he had thought.

Unfortunately, this idea didn't look like it would be working as well as he had hoped: They had reached a four-way intersection, and (Slade had suddenly realized) the sound of Wade's helicopters that they had been following for the past hour, had faded.

_Drat_, he thought angrily. If Wade had fled so quickly, it meant that back-up police forces from Gotham would be arriving soon. If he and Robin were caught by them, it would prove to be extremely difficult to explain their predicament.

Behind him, he heard Robin mutter under his breath:

"_Now what?_"

Indeed.

Slade sighed and prepared to face Robin, to consult his opinion, when the Boy Wonder gasped out loud, and froze. The man raised an eyebrow and whirled about; Robin was just standing there, eyes wide and staring, and his limbs as stiff as a board…

…Before he was released from his quick spell, and stumbled forward in surprise, nearly crashing into Slade.

"And that was?" The man drawled lazily, to cover up his real concern. Robin's gaze was darting around wildly, and he was staring at the sky in puzzlement.

"N—nothing," he said swiftly, shaking his head from side to side, as if to clear it.

"Good. Which way do you think?"

When Robin met his question with a blank stare, Slade rolled his eyes and swept an arm out to indicate the intersection they were stuck at.

"South," was the immediate response.

Slade remained skeptical.

"Are you sure?"

Robin shrugged, and assumed a cocky expression on his face.

"Don't know…but I'm headed this way whether you like it or not."

He chose the road stretching south, and began striding along the sidewalk; he didn't bother looking back to see if Slade was following.

The criminal narrowed his single eye, foul words leaping to the tip of his tongue, yet he somehow held them back.

"Arrogant little snot," he snarled to himself, and started jogging to catch up with Robin's fast pace.

**-partnership-**

The deep, night sky was being washed away beneath waves of pink and orange hues that darted forth from the sunrise, and made their way across the broad horizon; one by one, the stars and moon vanished behind a tapestry of bright colors that morning wove with its arrival. Robin barely had time to glance up; he was so occupied with making his way south. It hadn't been the first time that Raven had telepathically communicated with him, but it was still a disturbing sensation when she did so.

If she said that the Ravager was fleeing in that direction, he wouldn't even doubt her for a second. She was a prisoner aboard his craft, and any information that she might send his way would be invaluable.

The sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air above made him pause, and he stared up as policemen from Gotham swerved in. They were probably doing a search for any suspicious characters around the city, in the hopes that they could drag some suspects in for questioning.

The arrival of the authorities made him think, despite all his protests, of Bruce, back in Gotham…what he would say if he caught his precious son consorting and dealing with a psychopath…

The mere idea wrapped itself about his heart like an anchor and dragged it down to drown.

Something firm bumped into his shoulder, nudging him forward.

"Is there…something wrong?"

Robin loathed those words when they came from Slade; it made him sick to his stomach, the way that they were parental in meaning…and the way that the man delivered them with such sincerity, as if he actually meant it. The teen knew better, though; Slade was just mocking him, trying to make him feel small, and weak, and stupid.

"I'm fine," Robin snapped, and started moving forward again. Damn Slade, how could he—

"HEY! YOU TWO DOWN THERE!"

The voice was male, and was being belted out over a crackling loudspeaker. Both Robin and Slade looked towards the sky.

Far above them, a helicopter levitated, and the man's voice spoke again, directed plainly at the pair of them.

"YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE MESS DOWNTOWN LAST NIGHT!"

They didn't answer.

"ALL RIGHT, THEN: BOTH OF YOU—DO NOT MOVE! WE ARE SENDING TWO OF OUR MEN DOWN IN A MOMENT. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLEE, OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO OPEN FIRE."

Robin and Slade exchanged looks.

With alarming speed, Robin's adversary withdrew a handful of smoke bombs from his belt and hurled them into the air; the gadgets exploded all about the police's helicopters, blinding them. In the same instant, Slade snatched the teenager's arm, and pulled him after him, as they fled down the street.

And a second later, the tell-tale sound of bullets flying through the air followed.

Cartridges pelted the road as they fell, blissfully missing their targets as they raced back and forth across the road, doing everything in their ability to evade being hit. Robin, despite the danger of the situation at hand, couldn't help but feel his adrenaline rising with his growing excitement at the risks they were taking.

"This way!" Slade yelled over his shoulder, and Robin saw that he was headed towards an old office building that was scheduled for demolition. He followed.

The two burst through the doors, while bullets shattered the glass panes and pounded into the concrete walls. Robin and Slade ducked and darted to a flight of stairs that led to a level below ground, while their pursuers retreated from the building. Robin thought he could hear the man cursing over the loud speaker.

A door at the end of the stairwell led to a dingy, grimy room full of old boxes, and battered office supplies; the light bulb had burned out long ago, as Robin discovered when he tried to flip the switch. It was a dismal, dank place, and smelled of mold.

The Boy Wonder flung himself onto a crate to rest, and wait for the police to clear out; Slade mimicked him, wheezing loudly.

It took a moment for Robin to realize that Slade wasn't out of breath…but he was _laughing._ Pure, joyful, laughter bubbled from the man's throat; the man that had been Robin's nightmare, and had shown no other emotions of the sort.

The Boy Wonder slumped on his crate and stared at his enemy in astonishment, unable to believe his ears, as Slade continued to chuckle, on and on.

**To be Continued…**

Yeah, that's a weird place to end it…I'm sorry that I took so long. I really, REALLY hate technology…but it also hates me, so there might be an explanation in there somewhere…(**Insanity 101:** About that question—the CD that's really been helping me is actually the soundtrack to "Finding Neverland," that Johnny Depp movie? Heh. Funny how that works, eh?) I hope you all liked this, despite the fact that it's…yeah, late… I'll stop and let you go. (Resumes cowering beneath desk to wait for reviews.)

I'll see you guys soon! New chapters will be on their way, and sooner than you may be expecting!

Later—

Rebel


	9. Chapter 9

I'm not updating this Saturday (even though I know I was supposed to update last Saturday), because my schedule is going to be packed, so I'm sorry about that…do I apologize too much?

Chapter Nine:

"I really don't see what's so hilarious about this," Robin informed his partner, voice smeared with contempt as Slade tried to stifle his chuckling, which only resulted in another peal of laughter. "Now that the cops are suspicious of us, they're going to be on the look out for anyone matching our description that's sneaking through Jump City. We're never going to be able to follow the Ravager, and…" His throat clenched with concern at the idea. "…We're not going to be able to rescue my friends…"

Slade nodded seriously, though Robin could see that it was a struggle for him not to collapse with mirth once more. It was somewhat incredible, actually, in a bizarre and creepy way, to see his nemesis truly laughing…and especially after everything he had just said.

_Absolutely unbelievable…we've just been shot at, my friends could be dying, this Ravager person is getting farther and farther away with every second, we can't go anywhere without getting taken into custody by the cops—and I'm sure Bats will have a field day with that one—and I bet that a team of policemen will be entering the building in another ten or fifteen minutes…now I know Slade's insane._

"So," the Boy Wonder snapped, "what are we going to do about it? You're the criminal, haven't you been in a situation like this, and—stop laughing! What the heck is so funny to you!"

Slade shook his head and regarded Robin in a relaxed manner, something that, by itself, nearly drove the frantic teen hero up the wall.

"Are you meaning to tell me that you didn't find that wasn't exciting or thrilling to you in the least?"

Robin spluttered, caught off guard.

"Y—you're mental…you're completely mental! Why would anyone think that was _fun?_ We could have just died back there, and you think it's hilarious! There were bullets flying everywhere, and if we'd gotten killed—"

"So it's 'we' now, is it?" Slade remarked, perfectly—and startlingly—solemn now.

The teenager had no way of retorting to that. He sat, back ramrod straight, with his masked eyes narrowed venomously at the other.

"I know you, Robin, better than you think I do, and perhaps even better than the other Titans do. I would not be much of a villain if I didn't. You were even my apprentice for a brief period of time, and, though you denied it then…" Slade's gaze was fixed on the boy beside him, the haunting gray eye glistening with an intensity that made Robin fidget and edge away nervously, in spite of himself.

"Being hero becomes tiresome after awhile, doesn't it?" The man went on, voice becoming soft and insinuating. "It's the same old thing, every day, and every night, with no change of pace, no break from the labor of having to save a city full of people that love you and praise you, until the one day where you happen to stumble and fail…and those same people turn on you. And it becomes even worse when villains like me come along, isn't it?" Slade let another laugh escape, though this was nasty and harsh sounding.

"All the stress, all the boredom, piled on one another, until they become a mountain, crushing you and holding you down…then 'some lunatic' comes along, and forces you to become the opposite of what you've been for so many years. I made you see what it was like to be someone exactly like me…and when you first stole, it _was _exhilarating—because it broke the tedium. The same thing happened with the bullets just now; evading them and capture was similar to when you took the blaster. No matter what you say, or what you try to convince your friends of, you and I both know that it is all a lie."

Robin wasn't looking at him anymore, and a tiny flicker of a smile crossed Slade's face as he realized he was getting through.

"You don't have to keep fighting, you know," he added as an after-thought. "You always have a choice."

But whether he was saying this to his own advantage, or whether he was really trying to convey a few words of advice, even Slade himself wasn't sure.

The only sound in the basement was the faint trickling of water from a broken pipeline along the wall…

And then Robin snorted in disgust and got to his feet, head hanging, and his voice low as he growled out:

"I _knew_ you had something to gain from this…why else would you care, unless it benefits you in some way or another?"

_That's not true_, a pleading voice whispered from the back of his head. _Tell him that's not true…_

"That…"

No matter what he tried, his mouth would not form the words, and his throat closed tightly, as if he were being strangled. He couldn't force himself to speak.

"'That' what?" Robin demanded, eyeing his companion mistrustfully.

"Nothing…I said nothing."

Robin eyed him doubtfully for a few moments, as if he were contemplating trying to beat the rest of the sentence out of the man; and then he spun away on his heel, growling darkly beneath his breath and absently running one hand through his hair as he tried to think of a way to avoid the police. Slade looked on mutely, too preoccupied with trying to maintain a grip on his chaotic, and constantly changing thoughts.

_I'm sorry_, he told the boy mentally. _I'm sorry…for everything._

**-partnership-**

His body ached in about a million and one places, but Beast Boy still forced himself to open his eyes; even though waking up would bring with it a wave of painful reality.

He knew he'd been knocked out—he remembered that from back in the city, and he'd assumed from there that he'd been taken captive by the thugs that had stuck him with that tranquilizer and tossed him in that net. However, it was still a bit of a shock to wake up in completely alien surroundings.

Beast Boy blinked multiple times to help adjust his eyes to the darkness, as he tried to assess what sort of position he was in. He couldn't move his hands, or his feet…so that meant that whoever had taken him hostage must have chained him up.

As if that could restrain him.

The changeling smirked, and tugged lightly on the shackles, testing their strength. They were pretty thick…but that shouldn't be a problem for him. Once he broke free, he could find out if any of his friends had fallen prey to the invaders, and where exactly they were.

_Gorilla's a good choice._

Beast Boy bit his lip and focused, as his limbs began to grow rapidly, straining at the chains that bound him. It shouldn't be long now, he thought hopefully…

But a second later, he let out a scream of agony, as a shock of electricity racked his body and caused him to stop morphing; he hung there instead, panting and heaving for air.

The pain had been so intense, it was almost unbelievable…

"So I was right, then," came a familiar gravelly voice from out of the shadows. "The chains must be fixed somehow, so that we can't use our powers to escape."

"Raven?" Beast Boy called out hopefully, squinting blindly into the black that surrounded him everywhere. "Is that you?"

"Yes, I'm here, Beast Boy."

"Friend Beast Boy? You are awake?"

"Star, that you?"

"Indeed, friend! It is I!"

Beast Boy gave a small smile that no one could see.

"Nice to know you guys are here; what happened to us? And…" He twisted uselessly against the chains that held him, half-hoping that he could catch a glimpse of where they were. "Where are we?"

"We've all been captured—with the exception of Robin who's still in Jump—by some sort of maniac, who knows Slade, some way or another," Raven explained, filling him in on all that he had missed. "He wants to use us a bait, so that Robin will follow and be captured as well. But it's okay, because he's with Slade."

Beast Boy shook his head incredulously.

"Robin's with Slade? How is that _okay_?"

"Because they've teamed up together to save us," the Goth countered logically. "I don't know much more than that, and only because Starfire was threatened earlier, before either of us woke up."

"And we are…where?"

"Aboard a hovercraft, that's part of a fleet. We're heading south from the city."

Beast Boy sighed, and took this all in.

"So, what are we going to do?" He asked dumbly, overwhelmed by the ton of information that Raven had just heaped on him.

"…I have no idea," she responded softly, and the changeling thought he caught a hint of despair in her voice. "I managed to contact Robin, and tell him where we were going, but…until we land, or he finds us…"

"We're stuck," Beast Boy finished for her, his tone flat.

"Afraid so."

Starfire, who had been silent for some time, piped up helpfully, with:

"Perhaps when friend Cyborg awakes, he will be able to construct some sort of means to free us?"

"Yeah, if he doesn't get shocked first," Beast Boy growled resentfully, wincing at the memory.

The three Titans fell silent.

**-partners-**

"Tell me."

"I'm busy; piss off."

"I'm perfectly serious, you know."

"So am I; leave me alone."

"You started to tell me before. I want to know. Tell me!"

"You sound like a spoiled little three year old," Boris quipped, finally looking up from cleaning one of his guns to shoot Naomi a disdainful look. The other bounty hunter paid no attention to his comments, but kicked over the nearest box of ammunition, scattering the contents all across the floor. Boris gritted his teeth and, resisting his desire to grab his partner and strangle her, bent back over his gun again, cursing in German.

"Whatever it is that you know, it was enough to keep the Ravager from killing the both of us!" Naomi ranted, and knocked over another crate of supplies in her fit of frustration. "That's something worth taking note of! So tell me!"

Boris chucked the cleaning cloth at her head.

Naomi groaned and flung herself huffily onto the nearest box, before fixing Boris with a look that would have made other men shoot themselves, to spare themselves her wrath. As it was, Boris only gave her a casual glance, before he immersed himself in his task again, humming softly.

"What's the connection between the Ravager, the Terminator, and the kid?" She asked in a low voice. "What is it about those two that would make DeFarge hesitate killing us?"

Her partner sighed and ceased all activity; Naomi took this as a good sign, and pressed her advantage.

"We should have been killed, back in his office, Boris," she murmured. "You and I both know that. There's got to be something special about Robin and Deathstroke that would make him think twice. You know—tell me."

Both of them sat still for a minute or two…

And then Boris crumbled, and set his gun off to the side as he met Naomi's triumphant and eager eyes.

"All right," he said reluctantly. "All right…well…I, like I told you back in the city, DeFarge and Deathstroke are bitter enemies, and how Deathstroke had been hiding out in the city for awhile under another alias, until he pulled a dumb stunt that caught DeFarge's attention, giving him a means to fight him…thus the whole attack on the city thing, right?"

"Right, right," Naomi said dismissively. "I got that much. So, what'd he do?"

"A few years ago," Boris began, "the Teen Titans are formed in Jump City, with Robin—who left the Batman's side back in Gotham—as the leader."

"Yeah…"

"…The thing is, I've heard stuff about this kid. You may think he's some bratty little hero, and everybody's golden boy, but…there are a ton of stories, about how he's extremely vicious in fights…how he tears up all his adversaries…even how he might be _crazy_."

Boris tapped the side of his head, as to emphasize on Robin's possible insanity.

"All of them are good fighters…if you'd seen and heard the stuff that I have, you'd—"

"I get the point," Naomi said irritably. "Go on."

"Okay, okay! Well, Robin keeps leading his friends into battles against Jump's big villains and criminals—and they keep winning. And pretty soon, he actually even attracts the attention of Deathstroke himself."

That made Naomi's jaw drop. She mouthed wordlessly, trying to find a way to convey her utter shock that some puny little punk could impress a renowned mercenary…and failed. Boris ignored her, and plowed on with his tale.

"Naturally, he keeps testing the kid by baiting him, and putting challenges in his way. Robin nails them all, and then some—he even disguised himself as a thief, fighting his friends and stealing valuable technology, just to try and catch Deathstroke. Eventually—this is going to blow you away, I guarantee it—the Terminator steals a chronoton detonator, and threatens to freeze the city for all time with it. The Titans go running to stop him, and Robin gets separated from the others…but he keeps going, and meets up with Deathstroke himself.

"They fight, while his friends try to get the bomb…but it all turns out to be a lie; Deathstroke, unbeknownst to the other Titans, injects them with nanoscopic probes, and blackmails Robin into being his 'apprentice.'"

Naomi stared, wide-eyed at her partner.  
"I guess you underestimated him, eh?" Boris added waspishly, and she nodded blankly.

"The kid's, being the 'noble, self-sacrificing defender of justice' that he is, has no choice, but to serve Deathstroke, or let his friends die. So, he steals for him, and is helpless to oppose him in anyway. 'Course, he keeps resisting, and then the other Titans start to figure it out, and save him. That's part one of the whole story."

Naomi, unable to speak until now, shook her head and let out a sharp exhale.

"Wow…"

"I know."

"…Now I _know_ that kid's insane…I mean, who, in their right mind, would pass up such an incredible opportunity like learning from the Terminator?"

"Heroes," Boris mumbled in agreement. "I'll never understand them…"

Naomi paused.

"I don't get it, though…Robin escaped…Deathstroke would be ticked, right?"

"That would seem to be it, but, apparently…"

"He's still wants to make the kid his apprentice?"

"Well, no…the reason, according to a few of my sources, that the Ravager wants to get his hands on the Boy Wonder is because he knows that Deathstroke would follow."

"Like I said before, because he wants to make him his apprentice again?"

"And like I said before: No. Rumor has it that, after the whole blackmail thing, the Terminator thought it over, and…you know…"

Naomi leaned in, so that she and Boris were face to face, looking appalled and yet terribly intrigued.

"Oh, no; don't say it…don't tell me…he's going—?"

"_Soft_," Boris whispered, and the two of them recoiled, shuddering at the thought.

"That's pathetic," Naomi proclaimed. "Someone of his reputation getting all guilty and emotional over some undeserving twerp…that is, without a doubt, perfectly pathetic."

"You don't need to convince me of anything," Boris said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

Naomi chewed her bottom lip, processing this, as she rested her head in her hands.

"So," she said slowly, summing it all up. "He blackmails the kid. Then he feels bad for the crap that he pulled. Meanwhile, DeFarge finds out where he's been hiding, and figures out that Deathstroke is getting weak…so he wants to capture Robin and his little teams, because he knows that Deathstroke will try and rescue him, to make up for his misdeed earlier."

Boris didn't reply.

"That's it, isn't it?" She pressed, suspicious. "Or…Boris, what is it?"

"You've got most of it right…DeFarge knows that Deathstroke will try to catch the kid. But—and this is the part that is especially going to disgust you—the reason Deathstroke wants to rescue the kid is because—"

It was at that exact moment that Julius burst through the door; Boris immediately grabbed his gun and pretended as if nothing had been happening. Naomi, however, didn't bother to try and conceal what they had been doing, but instead threw him a filthy, frustrated look.

Julius only raised an eyebrow appraisingly at her expression, icy eyes sweeping over the room and focusing in on the scattered debris that littered the floor.

"The Ravager wants to see you two," he informed them. "I suggest not keeping him waiting…"

He swept out of the room as haughtily as he had entered, his footsteps echoing into the long, metal hallway behind him. Naomi waited until the sound had faded entirely, before turning to face Boris with a mix of exasperation and regret in her expression.

"Best not keep him waiting, I suppose," was his only reply.

**-partners-**

Wade was sitting at his desk again when they arrived, casually sipping from a glass of wine and looking extremely pleased with himself. As soon and Boris and Naomi set foot through the door, he stood and spread his arms in a gesture of welcome.

"Ah, you brought them, Julius. Excellent—come in you two, I've been meaning to have a word. Would you care for something to drink?"

The two bounty hunters exchanged wary looks.

"No, thank you, sir," Boris answered for the two of them.

Wade shrugged, not the least bit disturbed.

"Very well…it's a good year, though, you don't know what you're missing…well, come, and have a seat. I want to have a word with you. You," he growled and pointed at Julius. "You can leave now."

"Yes, sir."

Julius obeyed, shutting the office door behind him as he went. With a grunt, Wade settled himself down opposite of the pair, taking another sip from his glass, before he spoke.

"I've been thinking about what you told me, when you were down in the city—"

"We would just like to tell you ourselves for a moment that we apologize for letting the boy slip away," Boris exclaimed, jumped in smoothly. "We knew that he was the primary target, and yet we—"

"—and I've decided to give you both a special mission."

Naomi did her best not let her eyes even flicker in Boris's direction.

"A mission, sir?"

"Yes," Wade went on comfortably, swilling the contents of his glass, "a mission. You two worked hard to track down and retrieve the Titans; I figured it was only fitting that I should assign this particular job to you.

"Though you may think differently, the boy plays a key part in my plot; and, unfortunately, someone down there seems to have figured that out, and is doing everything in their power to stop me from getting him. Now, there is another factor to add in: I captured the boy's team, because I know that he is undeniably loyal to them. It only makes sense that he would try to rescue them, especially after hearing that alien girl scream her head off awhile back. So while…_someone_ may be with him, and convincing him to lie low, it will not be long—unless he has already done so—before he will want to save his friends."

"I don't get it," Naomi said slowly. "What do we have to do with any of this?"

DeFarge gave her a chilly smile.

"Well, my dear, what I want is for you and your partner here to return to Jump City. I want you to investigate the whereabouts of the boy, and, if he has set off to find us, track him…lead him along, and lure him to me."

Boris licked his lips nervously.

"But…you have his team members…why not just use them as bait to lure him after us?"

"Indeed, that's what I told them…" Wade smirked. "It's merely a form of intimidation, my friend. But, while they will prove useful at some points, they will also attract the attention of the police, something I will not be pleased by, should it happen. Your job, aside from getting him to continue to follow us, is to remove all obstacles that should stand in his way. That includes the police."

"You…" Naomi struggled weakly with the full weight of the situation. "You want us to go down and make him follow us…and you want us to kill police or any other people if they try to hinder them…as well as destroy anything else that gets in their way…so that they have a clear path to you?"

"Exactly."

"B—but—" Boris was horrified. "It won't work! The police will surely kill us, and if we draw attention to ourselves with mass slaughter, we'll be caught and killed for sure! There are….there are millions of things that could go wrong on a job like this!"

Wade smiled wolfishly, and drained the rest of his wine.

"Well, now…that's _your_ problem, isn't it?"

**To be Continued…**

I hope you liked this chapter. I know, the action has been pretty much non-existent in this story, but I promise it'll pick up soon. I wish I could say more, but I've come down with something, and I'm not feeling too great.

I'll see you guys soon!

—Rebel


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys. I've finally returned to writing on fanfiction after a kind of unannounced hiatus…I had some personal issues that I needed to work through, to tell you the truth. But…I guess I'm back now! (and with a vengeance! Lol…) Thanks for all your patience and support, guys. And, as a present, there will be more new stories and updates! Ha! Yes, it's actually happening! I hope you enjoy this new chapter (sure took me long enough!)

**Dlsky: **If you're reading, thank you.

Chapter Ten:

Robin was circling the small basement, eyes narrowed to slits as he eyed the walls dangerously—it was as if he was a bomb, ready to go off at any second now. Slade was brooding, taking advantage of the silence to contemplate their possible routes when Robin's voice suddenly jolted him out of his reverie.

"What is that?"

Slade paused, and tilted his head slightly to one side, concentrating.

"Sirens."

Robin paused for a moment longer, and then winced, and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Shoot!" He turned towards Slade, who was watching him with slight amusement and interest.

"They've called in a SWAT team!"

"More attention than I'd been hoping for, then," the masked man grumbled underneath his breath. Robin made a noise of incredulous disgust, but his adversary ignored him as he got to his feet.

"There's only one way to deal with this," Slade said simply, and reaching over, pulled over the bag of weapons from their piles of supplies, and unzipped it.

Robin was by his side in an instant, face dark.

"No."

"No?" Slade asked vaguely, not even bothering to look in the boy's direction, or stop his current task of pulling out assorted weapons and examining them.

"I won't let you do this."

"I'd certainly like to see you try," was the dull response. Robin face registered anger and shock at the apathetic standpoint his nemesis was taking.

"Did you even listen to me? Robin snarled determinedly, yanking on Slade's free arm. "You can't kill them! It's not right! These men are only doing their jobs—"

"And I'm only doing mine," the masked man replied calmly, wrenching his arm out of the boy's grip and quickly loading a gun.

"—and they're completely innocent!" Robin retorted, cutting back in. "These are people with families, who are only trying to do the right thing. Besides, they have nothing to do with us! Just leave them alone!"

Up until this point, his partner in crime hadn't paid him the slightest bit of attention, too intent on preparing weapons, but at the raise in the younger man's voice, Slade turned slowly, staring down contemptuously at the Boy Wonder, who returned the look with concerned, but still fierce tenacity.

"There is only one rule for people like me—like you, even. You either kill, or be killed."

Slade cocked another gun, to emphasize his point, and Robin's expression flickered in what could almost have been a cringe.

"The restrictions of the world don't apply to people like us; they never have, they never will. The last thing I'm concerned about at the moment is death."

The masked man finished loading weapons, and, picking up a machine gun with disturbing nonchalance, turned towards the entrance of the basement. The Boy Wonder stared at him for a moment in confusion, before snorting bitterly.

"You know, I always thought you were insane," Robin spat, eyes narrowing, "but I didn't think you were stupid enough to be suicidal."

Slade tilted his head to one side in a questioning manner.

"What do you mean?"

Robin's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, and he gestured wildly for several minutes, trying to grasp enough self-control to speak again; Slade looked on, waiting.

Eventually, Robin inhaled shakily and spoke again.

"You really are out of your mind. There are at least thirty-five men out there, all armed to the teeth, and you're planning to just charge out and kill them! You'll be dead within minutes!"

Slade paused again, in the middle of shouldering an extra gun, and turned slowly on his heel to lock gazes with Robin. The Boy Wonder swallowed hard, and took a defiant stance, daring to look the man dead in the eye.

A moment later, the familiar gleam that Robin often associated with Slade smiling appeared in his eye, and he took a step forward, leaning towards the boy.

"As I said before…the restrictions of this world don't apply to _me_…"

There was something about the way that he spoke those words that sent chills down Robin's spine, though he did his best to keep his expression as impassive as ever.

"Here."

Slade picked up a gun lying on the floor and tossed it carelessly at Robin, who just barely succeeded in not dropping it the second after he'd caught it.

"You may need this. In case you choose to join me."

Robin chewed on his lower lip, biting back another remark, and instead murmured something under his breath and crossed his arms, continuing to watch Slade's back with mounting apprehension.

**-partners-**

"How about there? That looks like enough space."

"And how about you shutting up and letting the man do his job?"

Naomi pulled a frog-face at him, and gave Boris the middle finger, before turning back to Julius.

"Well? Are you ever gonna set this thing down, or are we just going to fly around in circles until we run out of fuel?"

Julius' right eye was twitching dangerously by this point, after nearly twenty full minutes of Naomi's incessant criticism and whining, and Boris himself was finding it difficult to concentrate as well. He took a deep breath, and managed to spit out, in the calmest voice possible:

"Patience is a virtue."

"But I'm bored!" Naomi complained loudly, flopping melodramatically into her seat. "And we've been swooping all over this city looking for those two morons for ages! Face it," she told him. "They're not here anymore. So just pick a place to let us down, and scurry back."

Julius was chewing furiously on his lip, obviously holding back a string of swears, and looked expectantly at Boris for orders. The German sighed mentally, hating to admit that Naomi might have a point, but unable to deny that her idea wasn't entirely impossible. They _had_ been up with DeFarge for awhile; Robin and Slade could have chosen to slip away at any given time, and could be anywhere right now.

_Damn it…_

"All right," he said, defeated, and Naomi glanced up at him, surprised—although not unpleasantly so. "Julius, we'll continue on foot from here. Find an area, and let us off."

Julius nodded silently, and swerved around the nearest city block.

Naomi sat up straight, eyes widening at the scene before them.

"What the—?"

Cops were swarming everywhere around an old, dilapidated building, while SWAT vans were pulling up from every direction, the men from inside pouring out to surround the place.

Naomi and Boris glanced at one another.

"You don't think…" She began uncertainly.

"Patience _is_ a virtue," he replied triumphantly. "Now, why don't you see what supplies we have in back?"

Naomi smirked cruelly.

_**--------------------------**_

A minute later, Naomi was positioned at the open door of the helicopter, a machine gun balanced on her shoulder as she surveyed the group of cops below, aiming carefully.

One of the SWAT members heard the sound of the choppers cutting through air as they drew closer, and he glanced back, eyes wide—

And Naomi began to fire.

Bullets thundered down, burying themselves in concrete, and in flesh, tearing up the street below. Men screamed for help as they fled; cars were ripped apart; everything disappeared beneath the fatal shower of ammunition that flowed downward. The blood of the dead pooled in the street.

Naomi felt a bubble of laughter erupt in her throat. And, in her moment of amusement, her hand slipped, ever so slightly, and the gun swung haphazardly, and the bullets shot towards the abandoned building.

**-partners-**

Back down in the basement, Slade was still tense with anticipation, waiting for the oncoming attack from outside; Robin, however, had ceased his arguments for the moment, and had froze, head tilted hesitantly to one side.

"Hey…"

Slade glanced over his shoulder half-heartedly, as if he were expecting another protest, but turned more fully when he saw the boy's expression.

"Do you…do you hear something?" Robin ventured, taking an uncertain step forward. Slade's eye narrowed and he lowered the gun he was still carrying to listen as well.

"It…it almost sounds like…?" the boy began slowly, like he doubted his own hearing, but Slade immediately set down his weapons down, body tensing dangerously.

"Gunfire," he finished—and bullets came through the dingy panes of glass in the basement, and hammering through the thick concrete walls, flying in every direction.

"Get down!" Slade roared, diving forward; Robin had been thrown off guard, and he landed roughly on the floor. A wave of pain exploded through his elbow, but he held back the cry of pain, allowing Slade to drag him behind a stack of boxes that provided feeble shelter from the attack. His heart was beating wildly in his ears, and Robin scrunched his body tightly, making his body less of a target…although he nearly jumped out of his skin a second later when he felt Slade's arms fold around him, using his body as a shield to protect Robin.

What the hell?

_"It's all right, Dick," a man whispered to the dark-haired boy huddled in his arms while thunder and lightening crashed outside, and the wind howled like a ghoul. "There's nothing to be afraid of, I promise. It's just a thunderstorm."_

_The boy only trembled and even tighter to his father, eyes clenched shut as if he were trying to block out the weather that raged on outside._

_"Daddy, please don't leave me," he begged, eyes swimming with the first of tears. "I'm so scared, Daddy…"_

_"Don't worry, Dick," the man said comfortingly, stroking his son's hair, and shushing him. "I'm not going to go. I'm right here, with you…I'm not going to leave you, I promise…"_

Robin stiffened more, if it were even possible, and pulled away slightly from Slade's grip, extremely disturbed.

He'd…he'd actually compared Slade to one of his few, precious memories of his father…it was so wrong, so awful…

Why had he done that?

_How_ could he have done that…?

The Boy Wonder closed his eyes tightly, just like he had on that stormy night, so many years ago, and tried to block out everything around him like the curious lump in his throat.

**-partners-**

Naomi had only just managed to cease fire, and had stumbled backwards from the window of the helicopter, when Boris grabbed her arm and whipped her around to face him, slapping her hard across the face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you _stupid _woman!" He roared, spit flecking his lower lip. "You could've killed the targets, you brainless bitch! And then where would we be? We'd be completely screwed! God, you—"

"ALL RIGHT!" Naomi shrieked, shoving him back before he could hit her again. "Jeez, I've got it already! Calm down! It's not like it's that big of a deal!"

Boris's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but no words emerged. Naomi, in the meanwhile, brushed her hair carelessly over her shoulder and sighed, her breathing returning to normal as she set down the machine gun and flopped back into her seat from before.

Her partner remained speechless.

"What? Something wrong with you? You look like you just got cheated out of a bounty, or something," she remarked, eyeing him oddly. Even Julius had paused to glance over his shoulder, bemused at the expression on his face. Finally, Boris managed to regain his voice, although it was little more than a whisper.

"Do you know how dense you are?" He asked slowly.

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"Well, seeing as how you were just screaming at me hysterically about it, I think—"

"You could have hit the targets with that pathetic aim just now! And there would we be! We'd be back in DeFarge's office like we were barely an hour or so ago, waiting for him to decide just how he wanted us to be murdered!"

Naomi glared furiously at him, looking like she was on the verge of whipping out her gun and splattering his brains all over the cockpit…which was probably true, given her temperament.

"Okay, let's get something straight here," she snarled, rising to her feet again. Julius bent low over his task of steering the helicopter again, trying to slink out of her notice. Boris, though, stood his ground, eyes as frigid as Naomi's, as he watched her walk right up to him and lean directly into his face.

"One: I only did what you told me to. So if there's anyone here to blame for my 'mistake,' it would be you and your complete, blind incompetence. _Got it?_" She ended with a dangerous growl. Boris blinked, unfazed.

"And two: Like I said before—it's not as if it's that big of a deal."

Boris inhaled carefully, a tic going in his cheek.

"And like _I_ said before, you could have—"

"Killed them?" Naomi asked incredulously, hands propped on her hips. "Yeah right. Something tells me that Deathstroke and that brat are smarter than you're giving them credit for…well…maybe Deathstroke anyway," she added reflectively. "Besides," Naomi continued lightly, "If half the rumors about Deathstroke are true, it doesn't matter if he was hit or not…now does it?"

Boris chewed on the inside of his cheek, unable to admit that her theory wasn't entirely implausible.

But the thought of a kid as young as Robin getting killed because of their mistake…it made Boris' stomach churn uneasily, and his heart throb heavily.

But, of course, he reassured himself, as the helicopter dipped towards the ground, it was probably just because he was concerned about his well-being, and how many methods of torture DeFarge would inflict upon him if the kid was killed.

**-partners-**

Grime coated his lungs as Robin's chest heaved for air, and he began hacking and coughing. The gunfire had ceased for the time being, but he remained crouching, gagging on filth and trying to gather together some semblance of resolve…Slade wasn't moving, but Robin was fairly sure he could hear him breathing, probably waiting as well for a sign that things had calmed down for the moment. Robin exhaled slightly, clearing his throat; at least none of them were injured—or he wasn't, as far as he knew.

The Boy Wonder coughed lightly again, and began to move, trying to shift to the side so that he could stand, and felt something damp and hot sliding over his shirt.

There was blood soaking his arm.

Robin swallowed hard and slipped through Slade's grasp, before struggling to his feet, and watching silently, and fearfully, as the man got to his feet.

"Robin? Are…" Slade hesitated, and swallowed, looking like he was being forced to ingest poison, before continuing.

"Are you all right?"

The Boy Wonder blinked, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I—I'm fine?"

Slade stared at him.

"Are you…sure?" He questioned, sounding completely unconvinced.

"Y-Yeah…I think so. Shouldn't you be…?"

Robin trailed off, staring, before pi

"But…you…weren't you shot, just—"

Slade turned abruptly on his heel, scooping up the bags; he flung one at Robin as he strode towards the door, the Boy Wonder just barely catching it, much less managing to remain standing as he staggered under the force of the throw.

The other man was at the top of the stairs when Robin caught up to him, furious and bewildered by his reaction.

"What was that for?" He snapped at Slade's back. "I was just making sure you weren't injured!"

"Care that much, do you?" Slade asked, voice bored. Robin flushed.

"Like hell! I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to slow me down."

Slade paused in front of the doors, staring at Robin over his shoulder. The teenager waited, arms crossed in defiance.

"Don't worry about things that don't concern you," Slade told him icily. "My well-being's none of your business."

"Is mine yours?" Robin demanded, frustrated that he wasn't getting a clear answer. "Because why else would you have saved me in the first place? I—hey, wait!" He roared, as Slade chose not to answer, and instead strode through the doors. "I'm not finished!"

Robin tore after the criminal, but, upon seeing the streets since the shots had been fired, skidded to a halt and stood stock-still, unable to do anything but stare at the wreckage.

Slade was only a few feet in front of him, glancing carelessly at the corpses that were splayed everywhere, very much in contrast to his partner.

"What happened?" Robin murmured, taking an unsteady step forward, while staring with horror at the body of a cop.

Slade shook his head, still trying to pick his way through the mess as quickly as possible, and irritated that Robin wasn't doing the same.

"They were attacked by something—or _someone_," Slade said practically.

"Those two bounty hunters from earlier!" Robin exclaimed.

"Good. That's our likeliest possibility. Now; we need to go…" He began to move forward again, but stopped when he saw that Robin wasn't following.

"We don't have time," Slade informed him urgently, noticing Robin's mournful expression with exasperation. "As I said before, we need to move while we still have time."

"But—" Robin began, looking slightly surprised at the pleading note in his voice. Slade waved a hand dismissively, though, preventing any further argument.

"The dead are dead. That won't change. Leave them, already."

He reached forward, grabbing hold of Robin's arm and wrenching it hard.

"Move."

The Boy Wonder glared up at him, but obeyed regretfully, trying his best not to look around at the carnage surrounding them as they made their way down the street, fading into the distance.

**-partners-**

Glass snapped and shattered beneath Boris's heavy footfalls, as he picked his away across the destruction that littered the city block; above his head, the sound of the helicopter's blades faded as it ascended into the sky. The bodies looked like they had been shifted, to make a path through the mess, and there were small heaps of debris that had been shifted by a careless footstep.

"I think they've already gone," Boris concluded, finishing his sweep of the remains. Naomi, who had been standing off to his right, waiting, cursed loudly.

"We were so close too!" She roared, pummeling the side of the building nearest to her. "And we let them slip right under our noses!"

"It happens," Boris said dully, hiding his own aggravation beneath his usual, impassive mask.

"If you hadn't lectured me," Naomi began, but her shoulders slumped a moment later, the fight leaving her in an instant to be replaced by glumness.

"Crap…"

"It's not impossible to trace them," Boris told her practically. "It'll be difficult but…"

"I know, I know," Naomi said tiredly, cutting him off. "I was just hoping to make this easy."

"Yeah, I understand. Chasing after Deathstroke and Robin's not my idea of fun either, but we've got a job," Boris said, and, crossed to her, pushing her slightly to get her to snap out of it. "Let's get this over with as soon as possible, eh?"

"Right…" Naomi grumbled underneath her breath, and snatched up the small stash of weapons that they had taken from Julius before his departure, before turning in the direction that indicated which way Robin and Slade had headed.

"Let's get this show on the road."

**To be Continued…**

Done! Blegh…after all the time it took me to back to I feel more than a little embarrassed. But, like I said, it won't happen again. Thanks for understanding!

So…I'm sitting here in my room, looking over my homework…and it's _snowing_. And it's October 12th, for crying out loud. This is insane.

Later!

Rebel


End file.
